


And I Will Hold On Hope

by spirithorse



Series: Liberty Verse [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Temeraire - Naomi Novik, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Temeraire Fusion, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-12
Updated: 2013-06-19
Packaged: 2017-12-14 17:36:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 63,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/839547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spirithorse/pseuds/spirithorse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve had been skeptical when Senator Brandt had said that they needed a dragon. He was a captain in the Army, not the Air Force. It was that kind of confidence that would get people to buy war bonds. The fact that they had managed to get a Firecracker meant that the dragon would just blend right in with the USO girls and his own costume. A Temeraire fusion fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Everyone’s Lost, the Battle is Won

**Author's Note:**

> I blame a power outage and starstripedimpala for this. Otherwise, it never would have been contemplated. As a quick warning, I wrote this a little over a year ago (before school ate my life), so it takes from the Avengers movie without any knowledge of the bonus features or deleted scenes. Needless to say, any new information from Phase 2 movies is not include as well. The title is from the Mumford and Son’s song The Cave and the chapter title is from All These Things That I’ve Done by the Killers.

The Firecracker breed was the dragon that was going to save America, or so he had been told when he was a hatching in the early days of World War I. His captain had extolled the virtues of the breed; claiming that, despite its middleweight size, it could do the work of a heavyweight easily. The Firecrackers were going to be able to fly past the German lines and drop bombs on their heads before returning to their own lines to haul the artillery without tiring. They were the ones that were going to win America the war.

So he had puffed out his chest to better display the nameplate that was attached to his harness, glancing between the American flag where it hung over the covert and his own scales. He had been proud to be wearing the white stripes over the mottled red on his top line and the top edge of his wings, the signature of the Firecracker breed. Proud of the red socks that changed to a light blue on his legs, the same light blue of his wing membrane and stomach. Proud of the darker blue spines that ran over his back, the harder scales on his feet and legs and the spikes that ran along his eye ridge. He was proud of everything that he was, because he was the future, or so his captain had said.

So he was proud when they named him Sentinel of Liberty and sent him off to war.

He was in two battles, one where he was nearly killed by an artillery round which left a scar running up his right hind leg and the second when his captain was shot clean off his back by an overenthusiastic lieutenant on a German dragon. Liberty didn't remember much about the second battle, only the bite of the barbed wire as he scrambled to rescue his captain from the middle of no-man's land and the screams of his crew as they died, mown down by the German machine guns aimed at them. Liberty escaped because he was a dragon, and the Germans were always willing to have more dragons for their cause. He had returned without a crew, without a captain and was sent back to the United States to recover from the wounds he had gotten.

The war was won without him, not that Liberty cared a bit for the war. He had only gone because his captain had told him to. His captain had told him that it would be glorious.

There was no glory in death.

* * *

Men were walking through the covert. The news was passed fast through the bored dragons. The breeding grounds were a place for the too old, too injured or those who did not have a captain and Liberty fell neatly into the latter category. There were whispers, of course, that those without a captain would be coerced into taking one soon, if not for the long run then to just get another dragon out to the front now that they were at war. Liberty listened to the talk, rolling his eyes at the way that the dragons spoke about this new war. To him, it sounded just like the previous one.

He huffed and shifted in his cave, watching the smaller courier and lightweight dragons scatter to deliver the news. Anything different in the breeding grounds was news. The repetitive listing of who sired which egg and who the hatchlings had ended up with was nothing to get excited about. Liberty was sure that the list of the dragons that had died fighting in Europe would be even less exciting, but the names of the dead were what came with the war.

Liberty turned his head away from the entrance to his cave and tucked it under his wing. What a senator and a group of civilians would want with the dragons from the breeding grounds was still unknown. If they wanted dragons that could help with the war effort the larger heavyweights and middleweights were on the far side of the grounds. As a Firecracker, Liberty only just barely made it into the middleweight category at ten tons, and he was sure that there were more impressive Firecrackers than himself. And, if they wanted a dragon to act in the latest propaganda movie or as a model for posters there were coverts in California and New York just for that with dragons trained to hold any pose for hours or to act. He was just a soldier, and barely even that.

He did shift his wing enough that he could look out without any humans knowing that he was watching. He was uninterested, but that did not mean that he was not curious. A senator coming to a covert was rare enough. None had dared to step foot into the Air Force's territory since the rights of military dragons had been hashed out after the Civil War. Any pictures that were taken were staged outside, where the dragon could be carefully posed and ordered to remain still before the senator rushed in. A senator coming to the breeding grounds was nearly unheard of.

If any of the other dragons asked about his curiosity, he was simply gathering information. He was young enough that most of them would just nod and lumber away while muttering about him not being right since the last war.

Liberty drew his upper lip back at the thought. Of course he wasn't right; he had watched his captain die and then had killed the rest of his crew. Everything that had been his was gone and all under fifteen minutes. It hadn't been the glory he or any other dragon had been promised. He had gone out to check on some of his wing mates when they had returned from Europe only to find that two had survived. The stories they had told about the war had made him shiver.

The sound of footsteps came closer, Liberty shifting his head to peer out through the gap as the group came to a stop outside of his cave. He recognized Simmons, the man in charge of the breeding grounds, but none of the others. A quick glance showed that most of them weren't soldiers, but he hesitated over the man who was standing in the middle of the group. The man was dressed like a soldier and certainly looked like one, but he wasn't acting like the soldiers that Liberty had seen. He was quiet and withdrawn, not excited like all of the other soldiers that had been paraded past dragons.

The man that Liberty assumed was the senator gestured at him. "What's this one?"

"A Firecracker. Relatively young though. Lost his captain and crew in the last war. There's nothing wrong with him though, a good breeder. There's two shipping out that are his, he always throws hatchlings with bright colors and strong fire." Simmons paused, Liberty closing his eyes and curling into a tighter ball. "But, you'd probably want an older one, less chance of them doing something strange. There a few more down the line."

"Same colors?"

"Yes sir. Firecrackers usually come in red, white and blue. It's just a matter of the placement."

Simmons' voice got fainter as the ground moved on, Liberty taking the chance to pull his head out from under his wing. He froze when he saw that the entire group hadn't gone, the soldier was still standing at the entrance to his cave, just staring at him. Liberty snorted, carefully stretching a wing out as far as his cave would allow him. To his annoyance, the soldier didn't seem to be intimidated, just awed. Liberty leaned out, placing his muzzle right at the edge of the cave, expecting the soldier to leap back. Everyone who wasn't in the Air Force did. People might have been used to dragons, but they still were wary of something that was larger than them.

Instead, the soldier stood his ground, Liberty watching as the man smiled. "Wish I had a pencil."

"Captain Rogers!" The man glanced to his right, turning and walking quickly after the group. Despite his better judgment, Liberty slipped out of his cave just enough to watch them.

Simmons showed them the four other Firecrackers that were in residence, dutifully reciting each dragon's service history and good points. Liberty couldn't tell what the senator thought; the man was nodding after every introduction. But the solider kept looking back at him.

* * *

Steve had been skeptical when Senator Brandt had said that they needed a dragon. He was a captain in the Army, not the Air Force. The senator had said nothing about getting a ship as well, so Steve imagined that the dragon was just for the effect. Dragons had been essential to all major wars since they had been first harnessed. It was that kind of confidence that would get people to buy war bonds. The fact that they had managed to get a Firecracker meant that the dragon would just blend right in with the USO girls and his own costume.

Senator Brandt had said nothing about riding the dragon.

Steve shaded his eyes with one hand as Liberty rose onto his hind legs and shook his whole body. There seemed to be an excessive flapping of wings before the dragon settled to the ground again, nodding to the aviator that stood on the ground by Steve. "All lies well."

"Good." The aviator turned and slapped Steve on the shoulder. "Well then, mount up, Captain. Let's see how you do."

Steve approached Liberty slowly, remembering something his mother had once told him about animals and moving too quickly. The aviator didn't share his hesitation, getting a lift up by Liberty and clipping herself into place at the join between neck and back. She leaned over to stare down at Steve. "Just get a lift up from him and clip in."

He sighed and stepped up close to the dragon, eyeing Liberty's talons before closing his eyes. Steve felt a slight jerk before he was lifted off the ground and swung over the dragon's back. He didn't open his eyes until he felt his feet land on something solid. When he did, he was staring down at the molted red back of the dragon and the two harness straps that went over his neck. Steve turned slightly to glance further back, still half crouched in case Liberty made a move.

The harness ran until just before Liberty's hind legs, a series of straps running over and in between the triangular spines that ran along Liberty's back. All of the straps had metal loops embedded in them at regular intervals to help the crew along the back of the dragon.

Steve quickly clipped in on the nearest loop, double checking the line from his waist to the carabiner. The strap was the only thing that was keeping him on the dragon, and it would be a long way to fall in flight. A quick tug showed that it would hold, Steve relaxing enough to release his death grip on the line.

The aviator grinned at him before gesturing down Liberty's back. "While I doubt that Brandt will ask you to do anything crazy, you might as well know how to move around on him. Just detach and go to the next spot. Move quickly though, he could twist and you could fall off."

"He'd catch me."

The aviator paused in the middle of unclipping her carabiner. "Well, if you were his captain that would be one thing. But I don't know about the deal you two have. For a performance, sure. Other than that, I think you're on your own."

Steve leaned out as far as he felt comfortable, although not far enough to cause tension in the line. He carefully met Liberty's gaze. "He'll catch me."

Liberty snorted and rolled his eye, the usual response Steve seemed to get from the dragon. But he was content with what little he got.

The aviator pointed out the closest metal loop, Steve bending over to unclip his carbiner and follow the woman down Liberty's back. The dragon kept still throughout their movements, sometimes shifting to a more comfortable position, but he never looked back. Steve assumed that it just came with the familiarity of having people walking all over his back. Although, from what Steve had been told, Liberty hadn't been in service too long. That had been something that had drawn Steve to the dragon.

All the other Firecrackers had been introduced by pedigree, although Steve couldn't place any of the names of the dragons that were offered, and then by service record. They were all experienced fighters, dragons that could have been serving with the generals in Europe or the Pacific if old age and injuries hadn't kept them grounded. Liberty was like him, nothing special from an obscure breeder. He had gone in to do his bit for his country and lost everything, something Steve could relate to.

He grunted as he was smacked over the head, the aviator pointing down at the harness. "Pay attention, we're doing this until you can get up and down this dragon in a minute."

Steve stood up, looking over the dragon. Liberty was just under thirty feet, but that was from snout to tail. It was still a lot of ground to cover. He sighed and bent to his task again, scurrying after the aviator as she led him all over Liberty's back and sides. Steve fell off a couple of times; slipping on the scales before he could clip on or a jolt when Liberty switched positions had him tumbling off. The aviator never fell off; she just shifted her weight and adjusted to the rocking of the dragon.

"I bet Navy guys are better at this."

The aviator paused. "We don't get many transfers in and out to be honest. Most people who want to work with dragons already are. But I suppose it would help, you're far too stiff. What are you going to do when we ask him to fly?"

Steve just shrugged and went back to the exercise, crossing over Liberty's back and sides as the aviator ordered him to do. A few passes were made into the belly-netting, Steve moving as fast as he could over the net before swinging back up onto Liberty's side, the dragon standing calmly through all of the maneuvers.

It was nearly dark before the aviator let him stop, the two of them sliding to the ground. She patted his shoulder with a smile. "Tomorrow we'll have you up in the air."

Steve didn't get a chance to respond, the aviator walking away with Liberty following after her. He had assumed that she would also talk him through getting the light leather harness off of the dragon, but Steve wouldn't be in charge of Liberty after the shows. They would retreat to their separate sides and then come together to perform. It was the best relationship to have with a dragon, or so said Senator Brandt. Steve wasn't to sure of that assessment himself, but he was damn sure that this was the closest he would get to a dragon in his life and he wasn't about to waste that chance.

* * *

His first flight was amazing and terrifying. The aviator had instructed him to clip in after Liberty had given the harness the shake down. Then, Liberty had just _launched_ himself into the air, Steve clinging to the leather of the harness as the wind whistled past his ears. It took him until Liberty had stopped gaining altitude and had settled into a steady pace for Steve to remember that he didn't have to worry about asthma attacks any more, his head still spinning from the initial rush.

Liberty gave the breeding grounds a few lazy circles; his wing beats a steady sound along with the gentle rock of his body. Steve bent his knees a little, trying to feel the motion of the dragon. He was stationed just too far forward to feel the full range of motion of Liberty's shoulder muscles, but he could feel the beginning and ending of each wing stroke, the slight bob that the dragon gave as he flew.

He was so completely focused on the flight that he jumped when the aviator touched his shoulder. Steve blushed and turned to face her, having to lean closer to hear anything she said. "He's going to go through his paces. Just hang on."

Steve had just enough time to double check his carabiner before the aviator shouted out a command, the wind taking the words before Steve could understand what she said. Liberty, apparently, understood completely because the next down stroke had more power in it.

Liberty bobbed up further, tucking his wings close to his sides before diving. Steve was sure that he yelped, the sound completely lost as Liberty went into a spin. Steve swallowed and leaned over catching the little flicks of his wings that Liberty used. He was jolted backwards the next minute as Liberty snapped his wings open. Steve scrambled for a better hold on the line, checking his carabiner as Liberty climbed again, this time going through a few loops.

Steve scrambled for a better hold, his feet sliding over Liberty's back. He glanced over at the aviator, noticing her crouched position and the way she would bend over to grab a better hold on the harness on some of the maneuvers. Steve groped for the leather strap that crossed over Liberty's shoulder, getting a good hand hold just as Liberty went into another loop. He clung to the strap through the loop, releasing the hold when Liberty flattened out, apparently done with his showboating.

He smiled cautiously at the aviator, wondering if she would try to trip him up. Steve was sure that Brandt would delight in knowing that he could hold onto the dragon and not lose control, anything to impress the people. What he was more worried about was what the aviator would put him through during his exercises while Liberty was flying.

"Alright." She pushed her hair back from her face, reaching down to pet Liberty's back. "Start moving up and down, everything we did yesterday. He'll just keep circling without any acrobatics. You two can save that for the show."

That got a huff from Liberty, Steve silently agreeing with him. They already had a song and dance number. Steve had seen the girls practicing it. He doubted that the people would respond better to a dragon and a rider doing a series of complex tricks.

He slowly made his way down Liberty's back, taking twice as long as some of his best runs on the ground. The moment between when he moved from one metal fixture to another was terrifying, nothing to hold him onto the dragon but his own strength. It would have been comforting if Liberty was anything but indifferent to him. Steve was confident that Liberty wouldn't let him fall, for one it would mean a complicated inquiry over whether it was really an accident or it was purposefully done. Knowing Liberty's record, the courts would probably rule against him. He had gotten his crew killed the last time he had been in action and there were more than enough witnesses to prove that Liberty didn't care for the new assignment that he had been given.

Picking his way over Liberty's sides was more difficult than before; Steve hadn't had to contend with the wind from the dragon's wings or the wings in motion. He kept having to pause and move between wing beats, one hand always on the carabiner in case he had to move quickly. But he managed to go through all of the proper maneuvers on both sides before the aviator called him back up and directed him back into place. This time, he was the one standing in the captain's spot, right where Liberty's neck met his shoulders.

The aviator patted his shoulder, having to lean in close to shout in his ear. "We'll make an aviator out of you yet!"

Steve just smiled back, not sure if he should actually thank her. He had only wanted to be a soldier. Liberty wasn't even his dragon. The arrangement was that Liberty just a temporary loan until the war was over.

* * *

Life on the road was monotonous, but it was far better than life at the breeding grounds. At least there was always something new to look at.

Liberty could watch the countryside of America go by from his flatcar on the train; the country that he had served but never seen completely. He had to curl up a little more tightly than he preferred, but it was far better than trying to pace the slow moving train over the miles that they were covering. And the ground crew assigned to him was nice. They took the light, showy harness off of him every night, taking the hideously spangled thing far away from him. Then they would scrub him down, careful to check to see where the harness was rubbing despite the fact that it wasn't in motion. Without a full crew scurrying around on his back, the harness didn't pull against his scales. There was only Steve, and even that was easy enough to bear. All he had to do was fly around a city, make a grand entrance and then let Steve slide off of his back.

Steve had the hard job; he had to convince the people of whatever new town that there was no place that he'd rather be than here selling bonds when the complete opposite was true. Everyone assumed that a dragon was happy until he started growling.

While Liberty was not ready to call himself happy, he was content. The ground crew and the girls were nice enough, even though Steve had only managed to convince three that he wouldn't eat them. If they were entering a big city, Liberty would sometimes take Steve and the three girls in ahead of all of the rest, just to show off. Because that's all it really was, showing off.

Liberty supposed it was like mating in a way. The males had to show off, be it their strength, flying or service record for the females to be content with the choice. The more that they showed off, the more bonds were sold; people happily falling for the glitz and dance number. They were in good condition, therefore they could be trusted and so they made money. That was enough to keep Senator Brandt happy. From what Liberty heard from the girls' car on the train, getting paid and seeing the country was enough for them.

It didn't seem like it was enough for Steve.

Steve wasn't too talkative nor did he go out of his way to interact with the others in the group. Liberty ignored the small bit of familiarity in their actions; he had a completely different reason for not wanting to interact with people. Still, Steve was polite to the girls and the ground crew, but he spent most of his free time alone or sitting on watching Liberty.

He was there now; Liberty didn't even have to open his eyes to know that. He could hear Steve shifting every so often as he stood at the back of the girls' car. It wouldn't be too hard to jump onto the flat car that Liberty was dozing on, but there was already so little space. All the flat cars made for heavyweights and middleweights had been sent over to England to help move dragons for the war. He shifted, pulling his head just far enough out from under his wing to be able to see Steve.

They would be pulling into another city soon enough, Liberty could tell that by the way that Steve had already changed into the ridiculous clothes that he wore for the shows. As soon as the train came to a stop, Steve would be out to greet the crowds with smiles before being shuffled off to give his performance. Liberty would stand by, looking regal and patriotic until the crowds dissipated and he retreated to the section of the city that was laid out for dragons. Any high and trick flying would be saved for the next day or the day that they left.

The train slowed, Liberty raising his head and shifting so he could get a better grip on the wood underneath him. If he wasn't prepared, he could go rolling off of the train when it stopped. It had nearly happened a few times, and he was embarrassed to admit that it was because he had been out of practice. Back in the war, he had been one of the better dragons at keeping a hold of the flat car, even with all of his crew on board.

Unfortunately, raising his head meant that he had given away that he was awake. Liberty carefully kept from looking at Steve, paying attention to the crowds that were gathering to see them coming in. He adjusted himself, posing so he would look regal. He could already hear the cheering from where he was.

To his surprise, Steve jumped onto the flat car, walking over to stand by his shoulder. Liberty fought the urge to bare his teeth, glancing down at Steve before turning his attention completely to the crowds. It was just for show. They weren't trying to replace his first captain with this fake one, this showgirl. It was a temporary arrangement that he had agreed to more out of boredom than interest. And that's what he had to keep reminding himself of.

The train rocked to a stop, Liberty looking out over the crowds. The only hint he got that Steve had clambered up onto his back was the faint click of metal as Steve clipped in. Liberty turned to look over his shoulder, trying to keep his expression as bland as possible as Steve patted his neck. "Stretch your legs a bit. Let's just walk to the theater."

"I don't see you walking." Liberty snorted, but stood carefully stepping off of the car.

The crowd parted easily before him, the adults scattering to the back. It was the children who raced close, staring in awe at him. There were other dragons too, Liberty could see them peeking their heads up from the park or on the outer edges of the crowd, some of them still hooked up to the supplies they had been hauling. Liberty craned his neck, an uneasy feeling settling into the pit of his stomach.

It was just like before when he had marched off to war. All of the dragons that were found in cities were a mixture of breeds, feral and the breeds that had been brought over from Europe through the years. None of them were as brightly colored, all of them in duller colors that were more common in the feral dragons. Once again, he was surrounded by the dragons who would be keeping the United States running while he went off to war. Before he had been proud of himself, proud of his bright colors, now he just wanted to roll in the mud until he could hide his colors. What they represented was that he should have gone to the war, and he was just young enough for that insinuation of being coward to bother him.

Liberty arched his neck, allowing his wings to unfurl slightly, making himself look larger. At least he wasn't the only coward. The dragons could have volunteered to go off to war. At least he had been excused from the war, and that was only temporary. He hoped that they could be put off by his assurances that this was his assignment. Other dragons around the nation had been turned away by that argument, thinking that it was his military assignment to help on the home front.

He turned his head slightly, watching as Steve smiled and waved at the people, playing the part of Captain America. Liberty put more spring in his step and loosened up, letting his tail swing a bit instead of being held still. For now his part was Sentinel of Liberty, Captain America's dragon.

* * *

Steve had made it a habit to seek out Liberty after every show. Liberty didn't know why Steve bothered; he just spent his nights finishing off the meat that the ground crew brought him and being scrubbed down. It wasn't work that most people stooped to, it was the work of aviators, the dirty work that no one ever wanted to do. But Steve always showed up for it, lingering just out of the way and watching as the men worked. It had been like that for as long as they had been on the road.

But this time, this town, something had made Steve step forward.

Liberty lifted his head from the cow he had been eating, blinking as he saw Steve approaching with the rest of the ground crew. He didn't have the time to ask the head of the ground crew what had changed before Steve was clambering onto his back like the rest of them. Liberty hid his surprise by tearing off another chunk of meat, keeping his head tipped carefully to the side to watch the men work.

Steve was a little slower than the rest of the ground crew, but that was to be expected. He had never taken off the red, white and blue harness. The entire harness would come apart into separate straps, but it wouldn't be broken down like that unless it needed a deep cleaning, like after a battle. The ground crew usually just unhooked the bare minimum and let him step the rest of the way out of the harness before giving it a quick polish at the end of the day. On most days, Liberty barely spent enough time in the harness to get it dirty. But Steve was gamely keeping up with the rest of the ground crew, even trading jokes with the men as they walked along his back to undo the straps that were connected the breastplate to the rest of the harness, the straps that went over his shoulders and on either side of his wings and the crupper that attached just under his tail.

By the time he was given the signal to stand and step to the side, they were already laughing and explaining the basics of the harness to Steve, who was listening intently. Liberty rolled his eyes and stepped out of the harness, grabbing his cow in his talons and moving a bit further out of the way. The men scurried to collect the harness, dragging it over to the small pool of light that their campfire allowed. Steve went with them, settling down and taking a portion of the harness.

Liberty watched through narrowed eyes. Steve wasn't an aviator, so this was useless knowledge to him. If he was ever sent to the war, the only time he would encounter a dragon would be when he was air lifted from one position to another or helping unload. None of that would require him knowing to help a dragon out of a harness or clean a harness. Of course, it could have been Steve's generally helpful demeanor.

Liberty stretched out his wings and yawned. Steve could do what he wanted; Liberty wasn't going to stop him. That was up to Steve's handlers. Liberty was not going to complain if the harness was in better condition, there was a place on his shoulder where it was just beginning to chafe. If it wasn't fixed by tomorrow, he would notify the ground crew.

With his suspicions settled for the moment, Liberty turned his attention to his cow. If he used more force than needed, it was because the dragons in the town had been a bit more enthusiastic about his old war stories and their questions.

He pushed the bones from the cow away. It would be enough for him over the next few days; it wasn't like he was doing any really strenuous work. Liberty resettled his wings, blinking in surprised as one of the men escorted Steve over, continuing the lesson from the harness. Liberty narrowed his eyes, but lifted his wings away when he was asked.

He held his tongue until the man had gone back, leaving Steve to continue to circle him. It would have felt like an inspection if Steve had held himself a little more like a general and less timidly; although this Steve was a far cry from the one that had come to the breeding grounds. Instead of an inspection, it felt more like being looked over by another dragon. Liberty huffed, quickly coming to the end of his patience. "What do you want?"

"I..." Steve shrugged, coming around to stand in front of him. "Dunno. I thought we would get to know each other."

"We know each other well enough." Liberty ended on a growl, surprised when Steve simply rocked back instead of running away. He was about to snarl when Steve gave him a curt nod and walked back to where the ground crew's fire.

Liberty nodded to himself, shaking his wings out before turning so his back was facing the ground crew. The agreement had been to act as a symbol, not to get friendly with the people on tour with him. He was sure that the Air Force would have been ecstatic if he chose another captain, especially with the way that he heard the war was going. They would be glad to send another dragon over. That would definitely be a way out, getting sent back to Europe to fight a new batch of Germans.

He closed his eyes but didn't sleep, his mind too busy with the memory of screams and the sharp pain of barbed wire.

* * *

The girls weren't so bad, but any hopes that the serum would change his ability to speak to them without stumbling over himself were quickly squashed. Still, Steve preferred to spend his free time with Liberty's ground crew. They were more like the people he was used to, not like the girls or the men that Senator Brandt had running the show. And he would be lying to himself if he thought he wasn't interested in the dragon.

Growing up in Brooklyn, he had only seen the dragons that worked in the city and those had all been smaller dragons. Heavy and middleweights were rarely seen in the city, just because of the space that they needed. He had heard the stories that his mother had told about the larger kind of dragons and had always wanted to see them, just for the novelty. Steve could think of no little boy who hadn't wanted to be an aviator or work with a dragon at least once in their lives.

At least he had managed to fulfill one of his childhood dreams since the army hadn't panned out.

Liberty was an interesting dragon, a veteran from a war already. That had been a hard thought to wrap his mind around since Liberty had been hatched in the same year that he was born and was already a veteran of a war. Steve had hoped that their similar age would be enough to get Liberty to talk to him in more than short bursts without any growling. When that hadn't panned out, he had settled for just being around as much as he could. Steve wasn't sure if his presence was actually helping the dragon to like him or if Liberty was just pretending. Steve had noticed that Liberty had stopped acting so cool toward him, at least when he was in his tights. If Liberty only liked Captain America, then that was fine with Steve.

It had taken until they were almost on the west coast for him to get to be able to sit down close to the dragon and sketch. It was the only place where he could be left alone. In the towns there was always someone who wanted to speak with Captain America. The girls were always talking about something, their men off at war or the baffling world of fashion. Even the members of the ground crew had been distant at times, which just left him with the one being that wouldn't talk to him.

Steve sighed and tipped his sketchbook back, studying the sketch of Liberty from that distance. He had drawn the dragon ready to leap from the ground, the vague suggestion of a crew on his back. It was just one of the many drawings of the dragon over the two pages.

He felt a puff of warm air against the back of his neck. Steve turned his head, surprised to see that Liberty was looking over his shoulder. The dragon had never taken an interest in what Steve was doing. At a loss of what to do, Steve held the book up higher so Liberty could see it properly.

The dragon snorted but didn't pull away like he usually did. "Do you draw anything else?"

Steve flipped back to the beginning and began turning the pages for Liberty. He watched as the dragon lost his tense posture, Liberty leaning down to see the drawings better. Steve smiled as he heard the soft crooning noise at the sight of some of the pictures.

"Stop." He heard Liberty drag himself closer. "Where is that?"

He tipped the sketchbook down enough to see his messy drawing of his neighborhood. Steve smiled, lowering the book to his lap. "Brooklyn, New York. Where I'm from."

Liberty nodded, his head nearly hanging over Steve's shoulder. "Keep going."

Steve carefully turned the pages, forcing himself not to stop on the sketches of Bucky, Peggy and Dr. Erskine. The soft rumble was back, almost like a purr as Steve turned to the more recent drawings, all done during the tour; a few houses that had caught his attention, a dragon or two and children playing. By the time Steve got back to the two pages of Liberty, the dragon's muzzle was resting on his shoulder. Steve had to turn his head to see one of the dragon's blue eyes. Liberty glanced at him, looking like he was going to pull away, but decided to stay at the last minute. "My captain used to draw. He wasn't good at it. Not like you."

Steve looked back down at the book, blushing a little at the praise. "Before all of this I was thinking of going of art school."

"Why didn't you go?"

Steve shrugged. "It never seemed to be the right time. Things kept getting in the way. Maybe after the war."

He felt Liberty tense at that, the dragon lifting his muzzle away. "Maybe."

"Come on." Steve laughed. "I don't think the army would want me. I'm an experiment."

"So?" Liberty blinked down at him. "There are plenty of experiments in the Air Force. What else do you call crossbreeds?"

"I'm not a dragon."

Steve froze as Liberty sniffed his hair before scooting away. "I guess not. You're useful enough. You have free time and won't go blind trying to read the paper. You can read me the news."

It took Steve a moment to realize that Liberty was joking with him. It was the longest time the dragon had spoken to him and Liberty had managed to both complement and tease him. Steve felt like he had been catapulted too quickly into something. But he had wanted Liberty to talk to him and he had gotten what he wanted. He would just have to figure out what exactly had made Liberty want to talk so openly.

Steve stood up, stretching before walking over to where the ground crew had set up and borrowed a newspaper. He returned to Liberty's side, warned away from leaning against the dragon's side by the slightest baring of teeth. Steve settled down close to where he had sat before, opening up the newspaper and starting to read. It didn't take long for Liberty to inch closer, the dragon as close as he could get without touching Steve.

* * *

"Reports say that we're winning in Africa."

Liberty didn't bother to open his eyes, just listening to the sound of Steve's voice as he summarized the biggest pieces of news. "What are we doing in Africa?"

"Stopping Hilter."

"I know that." Liberty huffed and curled more closely around Steve. He was warm enough because his body generated fire; it was a few degrees above the normal body temperature of a dragon. Steve was sitting out with him without a blanket. It was getting colder as winter came, leaving Liberty to look after Steve. Steve sometimes forgot that, while he was a super soldier, he wasn't completely invincible. He could catch a cold the same as everyone else.

"Want to hear about what is going on in the Pacific?"

"No." He really had no interest in the war at all; it was just the one thing that could affect his life the most at this point. In any case, he wanted to know when the Germans were beat. Steve had tried to explain the circumstances of the war, but Liberty had ignored all of the explanations. He didn't hate the German people, just the German soldiers, and it was completely rational. The Germans were the ones that had taken his captain and crew away from him. If he couldn't be there paying them back, he wanted to know the minute that someone did. Then he could finally take some pride in having served in the first big war. There was no pride in knowing that you had won only to have to go back and fight the same war.

It was harder still to remain in America. The further across America they got, the more questions Liberty was asked. Every dragon wanted to know what the war was like, assuming that he had been overseas and was back because he had been hurt. It was hard to deny that story, especially to dragons that had been too injured to keep over in Europe. At least they understood, some of them commiserating him on his loss of a captain. At least they didn't tell him that he would choose again eventually like all the dragons at the breeding grounds had. They all knew that one couldn't just forget. The younger dragons were harder to get away.

The younger dragons assumed that he would just go and serve in the war or that he was remaining behind because he was too scared to fight. That he had gotten himself into the position to keep from going over. They didn't understand. He would go back to Europe in a heartbeat, but he wouldn't be sent without a captain and crew. That was the one thing he wouldn't allow himself to take into war again. Losing everything that he considered his the first time around had been hard enough; having to go through it a second time was inconceivable. Liberty was resigned to the fact that he would have lost his first captain eventually, but old age was different, it was far kinder and less sudden than a bullet.

He looked down at Steve as the man sighed and rested his head against Liberty's shoulder. "They're probably dead, the ones that killed your captain."

"It's the principle of the thing." Liberty sniffed, staring down at Steve before shaking his head. "And it's not against the people or the army. It's against...the idea. War against Germany, again."

From the way that Steve was looking at him, Liberty could tell that he didn't quite grasp what Liberty was trying to say. Liberty huffed and tucked his head under his wing, using the time that move bought to think over what to say. It was difficult to explain a concept that had made up most of his life, most of his way of living. He must have thought over it for too long, because Steve pushed away from his shoulder. Liberty sighed and pulled his head out from under his wing, blocking Steve's way with his talons. "I lost my captain and crew over there." He paused, watching as Steve nodded slowly. "I lost my whole world over there."

"You won't get it back."

"I know." Liberty pulled his talons away. "But if we're fighting again, then why did I lose them in the first place?"

For that, Steve had no answer. He just reached up, his hand hovering just to the side of Liberty's muzzle.

Liberty's stared at the hand that Steve offered up before pressing his muzzle against it. "I would be fine with this war if it was against anyone else. But, against the Germans...it makes it feel like it wasn't worth it."

"Sometimes it's not."

Liberty lowered his head enough so that he was looking Steve right in the eye. He gently pressed the end of his muzzle against Steve's chest. "Was this worth it?"

"Don't know yet. And I don't think I'll find out."

He sighed and bumped Steve's chest with his muzzle, not really sure what he was trying to convey with the motion. In return, Steve continued to stroke the side of his face, Liberty shamelessly leaning into the affection and not trying to talk himself out of it.

* * *

Liberty roared and locked claws with the larger Bright Copper that was painted up to look like a Berghexe, barely aware of the crew on his back fighting off the boarders and the smaller courier-weight dragon that the camera and crew were on. The courier dragon with the director was somewhere just out of his line of vision, but the quick little dragons were well trained and fast enough to stay out of his way. The crew and boarders were well secured, so all he had to do was worry about watching where his claws, wings and fire went.

The dragon with the director on it came into view, the director waving at him with the prearranged signal. Liberty drew his head back, snarling as he let the fire build at the back of his throat. He didn't let the fireball build as much as he could, ordered to make his attacks more spark than fire. Liberty opened his mouth and let the sparks tumble out, purposefully aiming for the Bright Copper's shoulder. The sparks landed harmlessly on the leather that was part of the harness and painted to look like the rest of the Bright Copper. The other dragon screamed like it was in pain, pushing away from Liberty.

He held his position over the Bright Copper, turning his head just far enough to see Steve unclip completely from the harness and start to climb up his neck. Liberty carefully stretched out his neck, trying to keep as steady as possible. They had crews ready on other dragons to catch anyone who fell and they were circling over a net held by cranes. Liberty himself was ready to catch Steve if the stunt went wrong, he could safely dive without worrying about the rest of the actors

The Bright Copper swung closer, Liberty turning his head to the side in a move that perfectly set up Steve's jump. He felt Steve clamber up onto his head, Steve using the smaller horns above his eyes for hand holds. Liberty glanced over at the director, spreading his wings to glide to reduce the motion when Steve made the jump. He felt Steve press a hand against his scales. "Steady buddy."

Liberty almost snorted at the endearment, but settled for a low rumble that could be taken as assent, just in case the microphones picked up anything. Steve gave him one last pat before taking a running jump.

He followed the best he could, banking in close to the Bright Copper to watch as Steve slid down the other dragon's neck and clipped in before turning his attention to the actor portraying the Bright Copper's captain. The fact that Steve was safely in place didn't stop Liberty from watching the fight carefully.

It wasn't that he was worried about Steve; he knew that the man could handle himself. There were plenty of safety nets set up and the Bright Copper was a professional, he had been the star in at least six of the major films of that season. Steve wasn't his captain but he was his, just like the USO girls who would always bring him little treats and the ground crew that helped them with the show were his. That kind of person wasn't just to be put in danger. Steve had found his way into the nebulous place of belonging to Liberty's mismatched crew.

He nearly missed his cue to breathe another burst of sparks on the leather pad. Once again, the Bright Copper squealed and flinched away, Liberty slipping up alongside the dragon as Steve gave the captain the fatal blow, the actor crumpling to the dragon's back. The Bright Copper looked back and keened, Steve taking advantage of the moment to unclip and jump back onto Liberty's side. Liberty turned his head just enough to see that Steve was safe before beginning to force the Bright Copper to the ground.

Both dragons landed with a thump, the Bright Copper keeping his submissive pose while Liberty growled down at him until the director shouted "Cut!" Liberty turned at the shout, taking a step away as the director came rushing over, lavishing praise at all of them. Liberty lowered himself to the ground to let the actors slide off.

"Liberty, Ianuarius, we're going to do a few more takes of you two fighting. Full crew, no stunts. We should be able to fit that in after lunch." The director walked off, conferring with the people that immediately surrounded him.

Liberty rolled his eyes, looking over at Ianuarius. The Bright Copper sighed and flicked his tail before speaking in a crisp British accent. "Good aim with those sparks. Better than the others I have worked with. They kept missing the pad. Now, he said something about lunch."

The Bright Copper lumbered off, tipping his head to the side to speak to his captain, the man having remained on the ground during the shooting. Liberty watched them go with a sigh, his attention turning to Steve as the man patted his shoulder.

"Thanks for the smooth ride."

"That?" He rolled is shoulders. "That was easy, just a bit of trick flying."

"Of course it was." Steve pushed the cowl back, running a hand through his hair. "Then thanks for getting it right the first time."

"What, is the great Captain America afraid of flying?" The tip of his tail twitched, a sure sign that he was joking. And Steve had come to know him well enough to smile and playfully slap his shoulder. Liberty went to snap at him in jest, freezing in the middle of stretching out his neck as one of Senator Brandt's aides rushed up to them, looking excited.

Liberty stepped to the side to allow the man to come closer, reaching out with a talon to stop Steve from walking off. They turned to face the aide, Steve fidgeting by Liberty's side. The man waved at them before finally settling down to speak to them. "Good news. We're moving on after the film is done."

"Where?"

"We're going to put on a little show for the troops. Captain America's European tour." The man bustled off before either Steve or Liberty would say anything.

Liberty rocked back onto his haunches, sitting up. He kept a careful watch on the aide as the man disappeared into the movie lot, waiting until the man was completely out of sight before looking down at Steve. He wasn't sure if Steve was nervous or excited; he had to put his head down to see what Steve was feeling at all. There was a little bit of excitement, but it looked more like disappointment. Liberty huffed and bumped his muzzle against Steve. "It's the front."

"Yeah." Steve shook his head, seeming to come back to himself. "Will you be fine?"

Liberty shrugged. "It's not battle, I'll be fine. As long as no one shoots at me."

"Fair enough." Steve gave his shoulder one last pat before walking away, Liberty left to shift nervously.

He had no real qualms about returning to the front. He had always assumed that he would be called back at one point. What he was really afraid of was losing his crew. He would have to watch the ground crew, the USO girls and Steve carefully. Especially Steve. There was no telling what would happen. Liberty doubted that they would be taken where Senator Brandt could lose his precious bonds salesman, but war was unpredictable. Liberty sighed and sank down to all fours, padding after Steve.

* * *

"So who's ready to help me sock Ol' Adolf in the jaw?" Liberty flinched at the silence that followed the statement, scanning the sour faced crowd of soldiers from his place by the stage. They had made a grand show of coming in and the girls had been spot on through the routine. Better yet, the men had responded to him and to the girls. Steve was a different matter entirely. Liberty growled in the back of his throat as he watched Steve struggle to get the crowd to interact with him. "Alright. I'll need a volunteer."

"I already volunteered. How do you think I got here?"

"Bring back the girls!"

Liberty shifted where he lay, the soldiers closest to him giving him wary looks. They were the only ones not joining in the heckling, and for a good reason. Everyone knew that it was in their best interest not to anger a dragon. And, if they thought Steve was his captain, so much the better. They should treat him with respect, Liberty's captain or not. He scanned the crowd, trying to settle down again. Their commanding officers were close by, and they wouldn't let things get too out of hand.

"I think they only know the one song but...I'll see what I can do."

"You go do that sweetheart!"

"Nice boots, Tinkerbell!"

"Come on, guys. Can't we just get along?" Steve offered the crowd a hesitant smile.

Usually he was more adaptable than this. Being on stage was still an experience for him, and one that he had told Liberty multiple times that he did not enjoy. Then again, Steve had never performed for the men he so desperately wanted to be like. Liberty could see how it was easier to be the slightly ridiculous Captain America back home where people were ready for the song and dance number. Giving the same show to the soldiers, despite any good intentions, felt almost like an insult.

Liberty huffed, giving the men closest to him one last warning look before finding a more comfortable position on the ground. He was contemplating taking a nap when the heckling increased to a level he could not stand. Name calling he would allow, Steve was a grown man and could handle himself. Assault was a different matter entirely.

The first tomato hit the shield that Steve held up. The second hit Liberty's shoulder, the dragon lunging from his place by the side of the stage and putting himself between Steve and the crowd. He lowered his head and roared, watching the soldiers scramble backward, a good number of them falling out of their seats in fear. Satisfied with the result, Liberty turned his head and nudged Steve in the direction of the stairs, not moving from his position until Steve was out of sight and three of the USO girls were taking his place. Even then Liberty didn't stop the low growl that he had kept up, making sure to scan over the crowd of soldiers. He wouldn't hesitate to remind them again that Steve should be treated with respect. He only moved when the music cue came on, backing out of the way to allow the girls to have their moment to shine.

He didn't go back to his place by the stage; he knew he would eventually end up in front of the stage again, growling at the men for their inappropriate passes at the girls. He had slipped up like that once during one of their earlier stops at the camp in England. The girls as a whole had taken him aside to talk about it, thanking him for stepping up but reminding him that they could take care of themselves. Of course, the offer to guard their backs was still open and Liberty had taken them all on apology flights around the camp. Even with the talk, it still didn't mean that he had to like the way the soldiers reacted to them. The easiest thing to get his mind off the girls and their problems was to focus on Steve.

It was easy enough to find Steve. He was in the tent that they were using to store the costumes for the show, tugging off his red boots. Liberty inched as close to the tent as he could, sticking in his head through the front and curling the rest of his body out of the way. He remained silent, letting Steve strip off the boots and change into more comfortable pants, just listening to the sound of the camp and Steve's measured breathing. It was only through the quick glances that Steve shot his way that Liberty knew that Steve was aware that he was there. Steve probably wanted to be alone, but Liberty was not about to let Steve wander around without him close. They were closer to the front than Liberty felt comfortable with and the soldiers had proven themselves to be completely worthless, at least in his eyes. It was his job to protect Steve.

He pulled his head back as Steve stepped out of the tent, the two of them shuffling out of the way as the girls took over the tent to change into different clothes, a few of them squealing in surprise as it started to rain. Liberty stretched out a wing to shield the last few stragglers, looking up at the cloudy sky and snorting. At least the rain would discourage any attacks on the camp, which was a relief to him. Liberty had spent their days travelling to Italy looking up at the sky, expecting dragons to swoop down and steal everything that was his. So far, there had been nothing. But that wasn't enough to get him to relax.

Liberty nudged the last girl into the tent, getting a pat on his muzzle in thanks. He carefully stood up, glancing over at the tent that held his ground crew before going after Steve. Everyone was where they should be, which just left him. Steve belonged where Liberty could keep an eye on him.

Steve had settled himself on the edge of the stage, curled over his sketchbook and drawing furiously. Covered by his overcoat, Steve looked like he was trying to hide away and was doing a good job despite the fact that he was larger than most other men that Liberty knew. Liberty sighed and sat by his side, craning his head to look over to the other side of the stage, glad to see that the soldiers had dispersed when it had started to rain. He carefully lowered himself to the ground, setting his head on the stage. Steve shifted over, giving him enough room to turn his head to watch Steve draw.

This was one of the ways that Steve comforted himself; Liberty knew that after nearly a year of traveling with the show. He had known dragons that obsessively polished what little trinkets they had from their captains or cleaned every inch of themselves. A few of the girls would go out into town and spend the day window shopping or reading. Steve would find a place to draw while he sulked, which Liberty considered a better alternative to the other ways of coping that he had seen. It kept him in one place and something interesting always came out of it. Liberty scooted closer, watching the lines that Steve sketched slowly resolve themselves into a picture.

"Hi."

Liberty jumped at the greeting, turning his head to see a woman making her way across the stage. He glanced at Steve, surprised when Steve just turned around and gave a breathless "Hi" in return. The little smile that Steve had on his face didn't last long, Steve turning his full attention to the woman. "What are you doing here?"

"Officially I'm not here at all." She crouched down beside Steve, giving Liberty a quick glance. The dragon gave her an abbreviated nod, more interested in how she and Steve knew each other. Liberty assumed that it was Peggy; he had seen her picture and heard Steve's nearly endless supply of stories about her. Peggy glanced at him one more time before turning her attention to Steve. "That was quite a show you put on."

That got a chuckle out of Steve. "Yeah. Uh. I had to improvise a little bit. Crowds I'm used to are usually more, uh... twelve."

"Well, I'm sure the crowds of twelve years olds would be more impressed by the song and the dragon." Peggy sighed and stood up, stepping to the side to look Liberty over. "And a Firecracker at that. I thought they would have all been called out by now. Every time I hear from the front, they're asking for more dragons."

Liberty tensed, torn between asking about the state of the frontlines and keeping silent. He didn't want to know how many were dying, didn't want to know the names in case he heard about the remains of his wing. What was more likely was that the dead dragons were the ones that had come out of retirement to serve their country, dragons who remembered the Civil War far more clearly than any of the newer conflicts. Liberty was sure that they would be the ones to be shot down first, too used to the old ways of war where dragons were things to be captured instead of just killed outright.

He looked over at Steve as the man placed a hand on his muzzle, starting the gentle stroking that usually calmed him down. But Steve's full attention was still on Peggy. "Bond sales take a ten percent bump in every state we visit"

"Is that Senator Brandt I hear?"

"At least he's got me doing this. Phillips would have had me stuck in a lab."

"And these are the only two options left for you? A lab rat or a dancing monkey." Peggy gestured at Liberty. "You've got a dragon. Anyone would take you at this point."

"He's not mine." Steve paused for a moment, staring at the hand that was still resting on Liberty's muzzle. He jerked it away quickly, Liberty leaning after it in an attempt to get the meager comfort back. "I mean…I'm a captain, but not _his_ captain."

Peggy hummed under her breath, staring at him. Liberty narrowed his eyes and snorted, trying to hide his embarrassment. She could probably see right through him in a way that Steve couldn't. Liberty didn't like the idea of replacing his first captain, but if he had to choose another captain, just for appearances sake, he couldn't think of anyone that he'd want more than Steve. It didn't make too much sense to him because admitting that he had chosen Steve to be his captain just meant that, if the Air Force ever needed him back, Steve would have to come as well. It was far safer to continue to reject captains. Then, Steve would be safe convincing people to buy bonds and Liberty could go out and fight without worrying that he was about to cause the death of the few people that he considered his. He didn't want to be pulled back into another war, but he was still a part of the Air Force and it was well within their rights to demand he get back to his duty. They had given him all the time he had needed after his first captain had died.

He turned his head away from Peggy, not wanting to have her staring at him any longer. He didn't want to be understood by humans. Thankfully, Peggy's attention on him was diverted by Steve, who had either pretended to or had remained oblivious to their silent conversation.

"You know for the longest time I dreamed about coming overseas and being on the front lines, serving my country. Finally got everything I wanted. And I'm wearing tights."

Liberty huffed and leaned closer, giving Steve a light shove. He was about to remind Steve that they both looked like idiots between what the show and the movies made them do when he was distracted by a truck pulling up. Liberty uncurled a bit, watching as men were carried from the back of the truck in stretchers, baring his teeth when he smelled blood. They were far too close to the front.

"They look like they've been through hell." Steve was leaning against him now, using Liberty as a brace as he watched the operation. Liberty felt Steve stroking where his head met his neck, a nervous gesture instead of a soothing one.

"These men more than most."

Liberty turned to look at Peggy, wanting to demand an explanation. He couldn't hear anything that would indicate that there was a fight, and he doubted that any equipment left by an attacking force could have been carried in, not with the mud and without dragons. Planes were far too weak to really carry anything of great use. Dragons were still more useful than any man-made attempts at flight.

To his surprise, Peggy didn't back down, she met his glare evenly. "Schmidt sent out a force and two hundred men went up against him. Less than fifty returned. Your audience contained what was left of the 107th."

Something got Steve's attention. His hand moved from Liberty's neck, Liberty turning his full attention to Steve as the man sat up. "107th?"

"What?"

"Come on." Steve jumped down from the stage, sliding his sketchbook towards Liberty. He automatically set his head on the sketchbook, guarding it for Steve, only to stand up when Steve and Peggy started to run out into the rain. He went to follow, only to be stopped when Steve held up a hand. "I'll be back. I've just gotta check something."

There was no explanation, Steve jogging off in the direction of the colonel's tent. Liberty huffed and sank down to the ground, resting his head on the sketchbook. None of this made sense to him. Peggy had always just been described to him as one of the best girls that Steve had ever known. When he had said that she was with the army, Liberty had assumed that she was a secretary or helping far behind the lines. He had thought that women were restricted from all positions but secretarial work or nursing, save for the women captains that the Longwings took. He just wanted to know how Peggy fit into the picture.

He knew that Steve had been an experimental subject and the way he looked was a new thing. He also knew that Steve was in the army, although had been recently rejected because of his experimental status. How anyone else fit in was beyond him, which made him nervous. Not knowing was dangerous. If this Schmidt that Peggy had spoken about earlier had been able to decimate an entire unit like she had described, then something was very wrong. Liberty could think of no dragon that would be able to cause that kind of destruction, especially with the tanks and artillery units he had seen lying around. A wing could have done it, but he would have smelled the dead and rotting dragon corpses when they had come into the camp. That could only mean that Schmidt wasn't relying on dragons to do that kind of destruction, which was a frightening thought. There was nothing bigger that Liberty knew of than a dragon, and few things more deadly.

Liberty moved so he could see the colonel's tent, digging his talons into the mud. They had about thirty minutes until their next show and then they would be moving out. He would make sure to watch the skies, maybe even volunteer to fly a guard for the train. No one was going to leave his sight, not while he had no idea what was going on.

He lifted his head as he saw Steve storm out of the tent, prepared to ask what was so important about the 107th when Steve walked right past him. Liberty stood up, following Steve as closely as he could until the man slipped into the costume tent. Liberty snorted, but crouched low to the ground, sticking his head in as far as possible. He blinked to adjust his eyes, taken aback when he saw that Steve was packing a bag. "What are you doing?"

"Bucky got himself captured. I'm gonna save him."

Bucky was more solid ground for him. Steve had told him stories about Bucky and all the trouble they had gotten into. Liberty had had a few friends from his wing, none of them had ever gotten captured, but he could understand the need to go and save them. He hummed, glancing around the tent. "Where are we going?"

"Thirty miles behind enemy lines." Steve pulled on a leather jacket, holding up a hand as Liberty went to protest. "And I'm going."

"Not without me, you're not." Liberty snorted, annoyed when Steve didn't bother to answer. He was about to threaten Steve into staying put when he felt someone throw themselves against his shoulder. Liberty grunted but moved out of the way. He watched as Peggy walked into the tent, looking as confused as he felt. He jerked his muzzle at Steve. "Talk him out of this. Tell him to let the army handle this one."

"By the time they do it'll be too late." Steve picked up the duffle bag and shield from the show.

He went to walk out of the tent, Peggy stepping out of his way. Liberty didn't move, lowering his head and baring his teeth. "You are not just going out there on your own."

"That's the only way this will work. Can't wait, can't take you with me." Steve shook his head. "Bucky wouldn't just leave me behind, so I can't do that to him."

"It's the front!"

"I'm a soldier." Steve glared at him, the expression enough to make Liberty take a step back. Steve shouldered his way past, making for the jeep that was parked nearby. Liberty followed closely, glancing between Steve and Peggy. Peggy patted his shoulder before going to stand by the side of the car.

Steve looked up at her, sighing as he turned off the jeep. "You said I could be something other than this." He gestured towards the stage. "You mean it?"

"Every word." Peggy took a deep breath, looking up at Liberty. The dragon gave a small shake of his head, but a small shake was very noticeable to the two humans. Peggy gave him an apologetic glance, Liberty feeling a whimper build at the back of his throat. She leaned over the jeep. "Let me help. I know a better way, a faster way. But the dragon stays here."

Steve nodded and stepped out of the jeep, neatly avoiding Liberty's attempt to grab him. He gestured for Peggy to go on, freezing when Liberty latched one talon on the duffle bag. Steve reached back to pry the talon away, shaking his head. "You're Air Force property."

"I am no one's property."

"Yeah. But I'm not your captain. Don't follow."

Liberty shook his head again, but didn't move. Steve was right. They weren't anything official, just two hired out for a war bonds campaign. And the fact that he had neither captain nor crew was problematic. Technically, he was on call, waiting for the moment his orders would come in. Waiting for a captain and a crew to be assigned to him for the duration of the war and probably afterward. Without a captain and a crew, the highest authority in the camp was his commanding officer despite his stint away from the Air Force, so leaving the camp would essentially be deserting, something that would get him sent back to the United States. And that would make him helpless to do anything about Steve.

He walked over to the costume tent and curled himself around it, staring into the camp. For a short time, he could still smell Peggy and Steve as they made their way out, heading toward the airstrip. He focused on that thought, using it as a distraction. They were either going to take a plane or a small courier dragon. The former would be easily noticed but more likely not to talk and give them away. Liberty didn't even think a courier would take anyone without orders. Then again, that might be was Peggy was going for; her clearance might be enough to get Steve where he wanted to go. And maybe he could do something for Peggy when she got back and was in trouble with her superiors; which would leave Steve out there without back-up.

He dug his talons into the mud, snarling. No matter what argument he used, he wasn't happy with the results. He would not stand by and just let Steve go off on his own. Steve was…Steve was something far more important than the girls or the ground crew. Steve was the one person he trusted over everyone. The one person who hadn't been assigned to him, Steve had chosen him over all of the other Firecrackers. Steve was the one person that he would never fly without.

Liberty huffed and ducked his head. The other dragons had always told him that it would sneak up on him if another captain wasn't assigned. Liberty just assumed that he could have put it off until he was sure that he was done mourning, and maybe after this war, after he had taken his shot at revenge. Then he would have felt ready. He had just thought that his captain would have had some training before meeting his dragon, not an experimental army soldier. He sighed and shook his head, glancing up at the sky.

In another few minutes, the sun would go down and then he could sneak out. It would be easy enough to pick up the trail of the plane and follow it. Once he was with Steve it would be far too late to send him back

Liberty stood up and walked to the tree line. No one would stop him, they would just assume he was hunting and that he would return when he was done or orders came through. Liberty tucked his wings close, trying to make himself smaller as he moved through the trees. It was easy enough to keep his body low and relaxed, sneaking off was just like hunting. A clear spot in the canopy was enough, Liberty rocking back onto his haunches and leaping up into the sky.

He gained height first, using his light blue belly to hide in the cloud cover. Liberty evened out his flight, checking the sky above him before heading to the airfield. Sure enough he could smell petrol, even more so when he put out his tongue to pick up the scent better. Liberty smiled and banked to follow the smell.

Finding the plane was the easy part. It was a large silver thing that lumbered through the air, surprisingly high tech to his eyes. Dragons were still far more dependable than planes, able to fly faster and farther than any of them. People preferred the checks and balance system that came with a dragon and a captain, two brains instead of just one. A dragon could tell his captain exactly what was wrong, a plane could not. As such planes were used by short hops and people who thought that dragons were more trouble than they were worth. He narrowed his eyes, trying to read the writing on the tail of the plane.

_Stark Industries._

He rolled his eyes, dropping to fly just behind the plane. Of course the military's main contractor would have the most advanced planes. Dragons out on the front were outfitted with Stark technology as well, better armor and far better weapons that they had access to during the first war. Or that was what he had heard from the dragons he had talked to across the country. Apparently Stark was working on whatever projects would get him money, planes or dragons. It was a good business plan if one or the other suddenly lost them the profit. And, if the plane was that advanced, Liberty was willing to bet that Stark himself was flying it.

Liberty snorted, stretching out his wings to glide. He would hold as an escort and then swoop in when Steve was safely on the ground. It wasn't the best plan, but it would mean that he could get down to Steve without getting in the way of the plane. If he timed it right, the plane would never know that he was there.

He carefully marked off the miles in his mind, automatically counting them off as he flew and using the updrafts until he had no choice but to flap to stay up as the air cooled off. Nearly thirty miles on, he felt restless. There was no resistance, no dragon patrols, no sign that there was a war going on, and that put him on edge. Now that it was night and the skies were clearing up his coloring was going to become more of a hindrance than a help. He was too light colored, easily seen and not bred for night flight. Any light that was shined on him would light him up like a beacon. The plane would be in the same trouble; it was metallic and would shine in the light.

They were a mile from where Steve had said that the men had gone missing when the first attack came. It was unexpected in that there were no dragons, just the rumble of artillery. Liberty looked down, watching the flash from the muzzles of the guns before diving. He and the others had been trained to avoid any projectiles. It hadn't worked all the time, not as new weapons were designed to take down dragons specifically, but it had been enough for him before; at least until that one shell had hit him. Liberty glanced at his right hind leg before throwing his body weight to the left, going into a spin.

He leveled out during a pause, glancing at the ground before looking up at the plane. He could easily dodge the shells fired up at them, but the plane was far less maneuverable. He couldn't fly close enough to the ground to take out the artillery, his fire wasn't hot enough. Unless there was open gunpowder or something that would catch with a spark, he was useless. Going that low would stop him from doing what he could to help the plane and its passengers. Liberty grunted and flapped his wings hard to help gain altitude. He wanted to be level with the plane in case something came up.

Liberty had just gained height when the guns went off again. He turned his head, trying to identify where the guns were from what he could see and smell, hissing when he couldn't pinpoint more than three. He was too high up and the guns just smelled like metal, too much like the plane. The faint whiffs of gunpowder weren't enough to help him.

Something grazed his left shoulder, Liberty roaring in surprise. He couldn't clamp his mouth shut fast enough, wincing as he heard the echoes come back at him. Now they knew that there was a dragon in the air, if they hadn't before. There was a chance that they might have thought he was just another, lighter plane. Worse still, the others would know that a dragon had followed him. Liberty was willing to bet that they would shoot before identifying him, there was no reason for an Allied dragon to be so far behind enemy lines. He growled and dropped, planning on flying below the plane. If they wanted to shoot him, he would make sure that they would have to work for it.

He grumbled to himself, annoyed that the presence of the plane hindered his wing beats. Added to that the plane was too small, his head and tail were exposed far too much for his liking. Liberty was in the middle of formulating a plan when he heard the door of the plane slide open. Liberty bent his neck, turning his head just enough for him to see someone's legs dangling out the door. He could catch snatches of words, but he couldn't hear much over the boom of the guns and the plane's engines. Usually it was only the sound of his own wing beats and the wind that he had to try and hear people shouting over.

It took a few more seconds of hard listening before he could pick out a whole sentence and recognize the person speaking. "Like the hell I can. I'm a captain."

Liberty jerked, dropping away from the plane. That was Steve.

He banked, sliding out from under the plane and circling around to the other side. He was just in time to see Steve jump from the plane, Liberty barely keeping himself from shouting. He would be exposed parachuting down to the ground; there would be no way to avoid anything shot at him. Liberty growled, diving at Steve and snatching him up.

As expected, Steve yelped and writhed in his talons. Liberty took his attention off of the guns long enough to glance down at Steve. "Stop unless you want to fall out."

"Liberty!"

He didn't answer, focused on twisting and turning his way to the trees. Liberty tipped his head to the side, looking to see if the plane got away and glad when he saw it flying back in the direction of the camp. The plane would make it back by early morning, if they weren't shot down. He turned his attention back to the ground, tucking his front legs up against his chest as he ducked his head, crashing through the canopy. Liberty slowed enough to tip himself back, landing awkwardly on his hind legs. He lowered himself to the ground just enough to tip Steve safely out of his hands before dropping to all fours again.

Liberty shook himself off, looking back over his shoulder before back at Steve. "What's the plan?"

Steve stared at him before shaking his head. "Go back."

"No. I'm too far and I've missed our train to the next stop on the tour."

Steve adjusted the shield on his back, unhooking one of the straps on his helmet. "You were supposed to stay."

"I didn't. Now, the plan." The last three words came out as more of a growl, Liberty ducking his head but refusing to look apologetic. He had done the right thing by following Steve out here and he wouldn't back down.

Steve shrugged his shoulders, seeming to give up on convincing him to go back. He stripped off the parachute and tossed it to the ground, walking through the forest. Liberty huffed and followed him, stepping carefully to avoid making too much noise. Steve gave him the silent treatment for nearly a mile before he finally stopped and turned to look at Liberty. "Whatever is out there, I'm going in to save those men. You stay outside. And stay this time."

"Why should I?"

"A dragon would get us noticed immediately. Until the shooting starts, stay put. Then, cover anyone who runs out. I'll be sending them your way." Steve began to move through the forest again, peering through the trees.

Liberty lifted his neck, peering through the darkness. He flicked out his tongue a couple of times before looking back at Steve. "There's something out there, it's putting out smoke."

"Then there'll be a road." Steve ducked to the side, pushing through dense brush, leaving Liberty to settle down and wait.

He didn't lie down, instead glancing around and flicking out his tongue, trying to sense if there was anyone coming. If there was a facility of some kind here, then there were sure to be guards. Steve was scouting ahead so Liberty would do his best to guard his back. He glanced over at where Steve had disappeared before moving carefully to one side. The forest opened up into a clearing. Liberty pushed his head through the bushes, scoping out the clearing before pulling back.

Steve had returned by the time Liberty had turned himself around. He motioned for Liberty to drop his head before crouching on the ground, picking up a stick and beginning to draw. "The road runs a good ten feet to the gates. Guards are patrolling the walls." He sketched out the road and the wall, pausing to tap his stick against the line. "When I get to them, they will be coming out of this gate."

"I'll be ready." Liberty jerked his head to the side. "There's a clearing over there that will hold them and I can move freely in."

"They'll be sent that way. We'll get them out when we can."

"And you'll follow?"

"When all of them are gone." Steve nodded, standing up. "If something goes wrong, I expect back up."

"I'll come rescue you if you need it." Liberty tried to sound jovial, but it fell flat. Steve was already turning away, heading to the road. Liberty sighed and began walking to the clearing. It was going to be a long and stressful wait.

He settled into place, lying down on the ground. It would take Steve a while to infiltrate the facility; leaving him with nothing to do but listen for a call from Steve. He was sure that Steve would manage to find a way to attract his attention if he got into trouble. It would be his job to look out for any reinforcements. Liberty lifted his head as far as his neck would allow, flicking out his tongue. He would be on high alert until Steve got back, although that would leave him plenty of time to think.

Their first problem would be transporting the prisoners away. Liberty wouldn't be able to fly; he wasn't in harness and wouldn't risk anyone to flight without proper harnesses for him and the men he would be carrying. He didn't want to get caught in a flight and lose everyone that he had saved because he had to roll. If he stayed on the ground, it was another matter entirely. They could pack on as many men as he could carry and they could just walk back to their line. He was sure that they could commandeer a few trucks as well if they needed them, Liberty didn't think that Steve would just let an enemy facility stand. Although the fact that Liberty wasn't quite sure who their enemy was frightening enough.

He sighed and lowered his head. He couldn't coddle Steve; he knew that much from spending time with him. He could be there to watch Steve's back and that was all that Steve would allow. Liberty grunted, moving a foreleg to avoid a fallen branch. He turned his head as he heard trucks rumble down the road, not daring to peek out in case he was seen. Liberty turned his head to follow the motion, glancing up at the sky in case there was a dragon patrol as well. That was the last thing they needed.

The strange thing was that there hadn't been a dragon patrol while coming in. From what he had heard through the newspapers, the Nazis weren't letting any plane or train pass. Their dragon patrols kept attacks at bay.

Liberty could understand large groups kept on the most active fronts, but it was stupid not to have at least a few waiting where there was a known group of soldiers ready to attack them. There had already been a defeat, but that was no reason to back down on security completely. There was no country that Liberty knew of that would chose guns over dragons. But perhaps that was what had let this group decimate so many soldiers. Soldiers went in prepared to fight men and have to ward off dragons, only guns would be a complete surprise.

Liberty closed his eyes, straining all his other senses. The trucks were gone and he could only hear bits of what the guards were saying, not that he could understand a word. He had only be taught a few German phrases that the Air Force had thought he would need, like negotiating the release of his captain and his crew and how to recite his designation number.

He didn't know how long he hid in the clearing, tensing at any sound that could have been a patrol in between trying to figure out German. Liberty was just beginning to pick out a few words, the simplest of words, when he caught a whiff of fire. He growled and got to his feet, glancing toward the road before deciding to risk standing up on his hind legs.

The facility didn't seem to be disturbed, except for the flashes of light as the searchlights were turned. Liberty smiled and hunkered down. Something had gotten out, and he was willing to bet that Steve was working his way through the facility. He moved closer to the road, keeping an eye out for any reinforcements. Any soldiers coming his way would only have stolen weapons and probably not be in the best state to fight. He was going to give them the best chance they had.

The shouts from the facility got louder, Liberty pulling himself out of the clearing and partially onto the road. He could hear the sounds of fighting, the sound of guns and something else, something that left a weird taste in the air. Liberty lifted his head, forgetting about the strange taste a moment later as men started rushing at the gates. The first few pounded on the gates, the ones that came up behind them turning to face the facility again. The gates weren't opening, which meant they were trapped.

Liberty snorted, wriggling out of the trees and trotting up the road. He heard some of the men shouting, aware of the guns leveled at him. If he got shot by the men that he was trying to save, he would have to reconsider giving some of them a ride back to safety. He lowered his head, clamping his wings tight against his sides to make him look less frightening.

"Dragon!" He froze as a man leveled a gun at him, Liberty staring at the thing. It was like nothing that he had ever seen, completely black and glowing blue in places. Liberty dropped his head further, letting out a relieved sigh when another soldier turned to look at him. The soldier gave a short laugh and slapped the gate. "That's one of ours. See? Red, white and blue, an American dragon. Get over here."

Liberty nodded, walking forward the last few feet and latching his talons into the gate. He rocked back, grunting as the gate resisted him for a moment. He growled and flapped his wings, nearly falling over as the gates finally gave out. Liberty knocked the gates away, peering down at the men as they streamed out. The one who had recognized him passed by with a pat to his leg, a pattern that most other soldiers followed. There were a few that gave him a sideways glance before looking up at the sky. Liberty glanced up before spreading his wings over the men that were closest to him. "There haven't been any dragons all night."

He walked back over to the clearing, watching as the men gathered. First there were those that were on foot, a few of them leaning on others as they limped to safety. Liberty found himself being used as a crutch, men limping the length of him before collapsing to the ground. He shook his head, settling partially in the road as he watched the gates. There were some trucks and tanks moving now, Liberty recognizing some of the tattered uniforms of the soldiers running beside them. So they would be getting other means of transportation, one less thing for him to worry about. That still left him with a whole lot of soldiers and no Steve.

Liberty turned his head around, looking down at the nearest man. "What's the situation back inside?"

"We have to fight out way out, but it looks like we've managed to clear it enough for the rest to get out. We were told to wait out here by a Captain America."

Liberty couldn't help the twitch of his tail. Steve was still alive, but he wasn't out yet. There was still more waiting to be done. "Start organizing the men. Get the injured ones into the trucks and put the tanks in the front and the back. I'll load up with those injured, but strong enough to hang on."

"Should we get some rope?"

"No. I won't be flying. I don't want to get too far ahead of you."

The man nodded and walked away, beginning to bellow out orders. There was a moment of arguing before the men divided up and started moving, Liberty curling up his tail to stay out of the way. The flow of men from the facility was slowing down and Liberty could smell smoke. He lifted his head, watching flames flickering in the few windows that he could see. He doubted that Steve would purposefully set the facility on fire, especially when there were men still in there. Liberty narrowed his eyes and stood up. "Stay here. I'm going in to get the last out. We can't sit here for much longer."

The man saluted and walked off, Liberty nodding to himself before trotting back down the road. He didn't want to fly, didn't want to get noticed by anyone who had access to a gun. Liberty slunk through the gates, glancing around at the dead bodies that were littering the ground and the few tanks that had been left. Liberty crawled over one tank, feeling the vehicle give slightly under his weight. He cautiously stepped off, pausing when he heard the first explosion. Liberty looked up at the building, hissing when he saw the next explosion.

Liberty took to the air, gaining just enough height to clear the building. He could see something taking off at the other end, a blur of blue around the edges of what looked like a propeller. Liberty snarled, turning to face the aircraft rising into the air. It would be easy enough to take it down while it was still lifting off. He would just have to hit it near the bottom and tip it towards the ground. Liberty couldn't see anything he could light on fire, but he was sure that he could tear up the sides enough to expose wires. Fused wires would be enough to stop anything. Liberty turned, intending to go after the aircraft when the building underneath of him exploded. He hissed and backed away, ducking his head checking his belly.

He could see a few burns, but nothing bad. But it was enough to make him lose the aircraft. Liberty lifted his head and hissed, going back to circling the building. The last explosion had pulled up some of the roof away, just enough that Liberty could see smoke coming out. He dropped lower, scrapping his talons along the roof until they caught on the edge. Liberty grunted and pulled, twisting away as some flames licked up. Liberty peered down into the hole he had created, catching sight of someone leaning over the railing.

Liberty yanked the piece of roof away, clawing at a few more sections so he could lean his head in. "Steve?"

The man jerked back, one arm still hanging over the railing. Liberty could hear him sputtering but he paid no attention. Steve had promised that he would come back and Liberty had yet to see him. He tipped forward, peering into the smoke over the railing. There was someone down there, but he couldn't quite make them out. Liberty growled, landing on the building and feeling it begin to cave under his weight. It would hold, it would have to until he had lifted the man out. Then he would demand answers about where Steve was.

He lowered one hand into the hole, snarling at the man. "Come on."

The man shook his head, leaning over the railing again. "Hold on. There's still someone here."

"Then pull them up." Liberty leaned further forward. They didn't have time to waste, the explosions were working down the line, he could see them going off. The structural integrity of the building was already compromised where he had landed; the explosions were just going to make it worse. Liberty was not ready to test if he could take off faster than the building could fall down. He tipped himself forward, spreading out the talons on out hand to offer the man a lift. "We don't have time for this."

"I'm trying!"

Liberty snarled and stepped further into the building, feeling the walkway give slightly under his front legs. He flexed his talons, trying to get a better hold on the metal. He inched forward, securing himself in place before reaching over the railing. The smoke made it hard to see, Liberty shutting his eyes slightly to avoid any irritation. He didn't need to see clearly anyway, he could feel the person bumping against his jaw. Their scent was almost masked by the smell of smoke and metal, but the person was smart enough to reach up and grab one of the spines above his eye. Liberty grunted and pulled back, nearly stepping off the roof as he pulled the person up.

He expected the person just to jump down onto the walkway, not to use the handhold to swing up onto his head. Liberty pulled back out of the hole that he had made, scooping the first man into his hand. He didn't wait to hear any protests, lifting away from the facility as evenly as he could. He flew back to the road as the building continued to be rocked by explosions, not setting down until he was outside of the gates.

The man in his hands was set down first, Liberty ignoring him as he stumbled away. He turned to look at the man on his back, relieved to see the familiar face. "Steve."

"Everyone out?"

"Should be. I left them organizing themselves." Liberty glanced back at the building, shaking his head. "We need to get out of here fast. Dragons could get here in an hour and I won't be able to fly us out."

"Neither will I." Steve waved something in front of him. Liberty wasn't able to tell what the device would do, but he could tell that it was no longer working by the hole that nearly took up the entire top. "So we'll walk. Don't load up too much, we'll need you to chase off anything that follows."

"Right. They should be done in the clearing and ready to move out."

Liberty went to walk off, stopping when the first man stepped in front of them, pointing at Steve. "You said Army."

"Bucky-"

"You said you joined the Army. So what are you doing with a dragon?"

Steve sighed, tapping the top of Liberty's shoulder, the signal to lie down on the ground. Liberty obeyed the order, holding still as Bucky clambered up onto his back. He waited until Steve tapped his shoulder again to stand up and walk back to the clearing, paying close attention to the conversation happening on his back.

"You didn't tell me about the dragon."

"Honestly, it slipped my mind."

"How can a dragon slip your mind?

"It just wasn't important. I was more interested in getting you out."

"But a dragon, Steve!" There was silence for a while, Liberty turning his attention to the gathering of trucks. To his eye, it looked like they were mostly ready to go. The sooner they were walking, the sooner they would be putting distance between them and whatever retaliation was headed their way. Liberty turned back to speak to Steve, surprised when Bucky spoke up again. "Is this the reason you're a captain? I leave for a year and you get a dragon."

"No. But I told you to stay out of trouble."

"This was not my fault."

Liberty snorted, rolling his eyes. He was tempted to roll his shoulders and throw the two of them off, but he wasn't sure that either of them would appreciate the move; especially when they were approaching a group of soldiers who needed someone to lead them. Liberty was not going to undermine Steve's authority for a joke. Instead, he just cleared his throat, watching the two of them shift on his back as he approached the soldiers.

He crouched down to allow Steve to slide off his back, watching him wade into the soldiers who hadn't been loaded into the trucks. He could hear Steve checking on what was going on. Bucky was off of his back a moment later, giving him a quick look before chasing after Steve. Liberty sighed and remained at the edge of the crowd, refolding his wings more comfortably against his body. He was stuck waiting again, something that he wasn't becoming fond of.

Thankfully, Steve seemed satisfied with how arrangements had been made, pointing off down the road before walking away himself. It was easy enough for Liberty to catch up with him, taking three steps - two to avoid the tanks and trucks - before falling in beside Steve. Before he could say anything, Steve reached up to pat his shoulder. "We're keeping you unloaded until we're out of trouble. We're vulnerable enough out here."

"Right." Liberty stepped to the side just enough to let the soldiers who could walk settle into a marching order. He claimed a space beside Steve just on his size alone. A few were giving him sideways looks, probably unused to seeing an unharnessed dragon in a war zone. He just ignored them, which seemed to work well enough. It was far better to have them watching the sky than watching him. Liberty tipped his own head up, scanning the sky for dragons. He flicked out his tongue a couple of times, trying to catch the scent of anything other than smoke and unwashed human, but there was nothing. Then again, nothing was far better than something. And he would keep wishing for nothing all the way back to the camp.

* * *

Liberty peered over the map, coiled up as much as he could in one corner of the bunker under London. It was far too cramped for him to be in there, but he wasn't letting Steve out of his sight. Colonel Phillips hadn't court-martialed Steve, but Liberty wasn't too sure if the colonel had agreed to that because Steve had information or because he actually liked Steve. Liberty hadn't been around the colonel long enough to be able to judge the man.

Of course, that general mistrust had led him to cram himself into a corner in a bunker made to fit courier weights more comfortably than him. He was sure that he was going to rub his scales off on the bricks.

Steve pushed away from the map, reaching out to gently push Liberty's head away as he walked around the table. Liberty gave him a nudge, turning his head to the side to study the locations that Steve had marked better. "These are all Hydra bases?"

"As far as I can tell. I only got a quick look."

Liberty snorted. "A quick look. That's better than what I could do."

"You couldn't have fit in the corridor."

Liberty would have puffed himself up, but he didn't want to risk getting stuck. "I've fit in here, haven't I?"

Steve didn't answer back, his attention going immediately to Peggy and Colonel Phillips as they entered the room. Liberty gave Peggy a measured glance. He wasn't quite jealous of her; he was more than willing to allow her and Steve to continue their awkward dance around each other. He just hadn't completely figured out how to share Steve well enough. He had been spoiled by the days spent walking back to their lines with only Steve for company. The other men had taken a while to warm up to him so he had had Steve's undivided attention, on the way back and on their flight to London.

He moved his tail out of the way, allowing Peggy to get closer to the table. Colonel Phillips was on the other side, tapping an abandoned pencil against the table. The colonel didn't take his eyes from the map, lifting the pencil to point at Steve. "Given the proper equipment could you take out all of these bases?"

"It would be my honor, sir."

"Good." Colonel Phillips stepped away from the table, waving the pencil at Liberty to get him to move. Liberty snorted but shifted, the colonel giving him a long look. "This thing is far too big for this room; we'll have to relocate somewhere else. I can't be tripping over a dragon every time I want to move." Liberty was about to fire back his own retort when Colonel Phillips waved his hand for silence. "We'll assemble a squad for you to lead to take out all of these factories."

"With all due respect sir, I've already found my team."

Colonel Phillips paused, shaking his head. "I'm guessing you don't mean the crack squad of soldiers that we have trained for events such as these and you will be going for a bunch of soldiers that you pulled from that place?"

"Yes sir."

"Ah. And I suppose you plan to take the dragon with you as well."

"Of course."

"I wouldn't leave Steve behind."

They spoke at the same time, Liberty jerking his neck back as far as the ceiling would allow him. Steve just smiled at him and reached over to pat Liberty's muzzle. "I've gotten used to having him around."

"A dragon is useful to have in the field, I will not argue with that. What I will argue with is you taking a dragon not cleared for combat. He was granted on loan to Senator Brandt as a part of your show."

Liberty snorted, shifting his leg forward just enough to hamper Colonel Phillips from moving around. "I can make my own choices. Without Captain America there isn't much of a show."

"Exactly. Which is why we're sending you back."

"I'll just be sent right back over." Liberty growled, lowering his head. "So there's no point."

"Then we'll get you to the nearest Air Force base and get you assigned a captain for the duration of the war."

"Sir-"

Liberty turned his head around and hissed at Steve, whipping his head back around to glare at Colonel Phillips. "I have a captain and I will be keeping him for the duration of the war. Far afterward too." Liberty snorted and curled closer around Steve, ignoring the pole-axed look on Steve's face. "Now, get one of your little forms and start filling it out. Then you won't have to argue with me."

Colonel Phillips sighed, tossing the pencil down on the table. "I wish that you dragons would stay in your branch of the military, or at least pick privates, not good men. I hate breaking the new ones in." He sighed and waved for one of the secretaries that were walking past. "Fine then. As long as Captain Rogers agrees, we'll have you working on this mission."

"As long as Liberty is willing." Steve was still looking shocked. "And it'll mean we don't take transport from where it is needed."

"Good. Now get your little group together and get them in here for a debriefing tomorrow. Let's get a jump on these goons before they have a chance to move again."

"Yes sir." Steve marched off, leaving Liberty to look mournfully after him.

It would take some complicated maneuvering to get out of the tight corner he had wedged himself in and back to where he could get out. He grunted and began to drag himself backwards, pausing every time he heard someone walking behind him. Liberty craned his head over his shoulder, wincing as his head scraped against the ceiling. He managed to wiggle out and crawl along the tunnel to the open area where the dragons usually stayed. Liberty nodded at a few of them as he walked out to the hatch that would take him outside. After being cramped in that room for over an hour he wanted nothing more than to stretch his wings.

"Liberty." He turned at the sound of his name, lowering his head so he could speak to Peggy eye-to-eye. She adjusted her hold on the files she was carrying. "You'll have to come in early tomorrow. Stark's been working on technology since it was announced that there was a team going after Hydra. It'll be news that there's a dragon, but he'll have something for you, maybe even by the end of the day."

He nodded. "Thank you."

"And thank you, for making sure Steve got out of there alive."

"I'll always take care of Steve."

"See that you do. And make sure the communicators come out of the missions alive."

"Yes ma'am."

Peggy nodded at him, turning around to walk back into the bunker. Liberty shook his head, sighing. He would have to figure out how to temper back his possessiveness of Steve, he didn't want to get into a fight while Peggy over Steve. Peggy would probably win.

"And Liberty." He turned at the sound of his name, Peggy staring at him. "Don't be late."

He nodded, watching her disappear back into the bunker. Liberty sighed, walking back to the hatch. He pressed his shoulder against it, lifting it up just enough that he could crawl through before carefully replacing it. The dragon's bunker was right under the London covert. He was surrounded by Regal Coppers, Longwings and crossbreeds. They all raised their heads to look at him, giving him a suspicious look. He was an unharnessed dragon, obviously uninjured and obviously from the United States. Liberty gave them all a long look before leaping from the ground.

If Steve was going after the same group of guys from the rescue, it was very likely they were in one of the London taverns. Thankfully the one that they frequented was able to accommodate dragons. It didn't serve them, but it was a frequent stop on the courier routes. Venturing any further into London would be too complicated because of his size. While the cities of Europe had been rebuilt after the Napoleonic Wars to accommodate dragons, the growing population had made it nearly impossible for heavyweights to live within the cities. Even some middleweights preferred the suburbs to the city.

Liberty circled down to the street, carefully avoiding the people that were walking past him. Reassuringly enough, people only stared at him for his bright colors other than the simple fact of him walking around. That was far better than the way that the soldiers had looked at him, like they were expecting him to attack at any moment. In their defense, they were used to dragons on a hair trigger.

He paused to allow a mother and her flock of children cross the street, leaning down to nudge one of the younger ones that was lagging behind. Liberty stepped onto the sidewalk, giving an awkward hop to land in the yard behind the tavern. The courier weight dragons made way for him, letting him settle down before they started chattering at once, most of them asking questions about how the war was going. It was only after the glared them into silence that he was able to speak. "Can one of you check to see if a Captain Steve Rogers is here? Tell him I'm waiting and I'll give anyone they want a ride back."

One of the Greylings nodded and fluttered over to the open window, popping his head in to speak. The answer came back quickly, Steve leaning out to wave to him before disappearing back into the tavern. With that reassurance, Liberty settled down, letting the little couriers rest on him. Inevitably, the questions came back.

"Have you been to the front?"

"Was that your captain? He's in a army uniform."

"What's it like out there?"

"Are there more dragons on the way over?"

Liberty stumbled his way through the questions the best that he could, finally satisfying them enough to make them turn their attention elsewhere. He was sure that his answers were less than satisfactory, most of them being that he didn't know. He had been out of the loop for too long to actually know the answers. All of the dragons in the small yard had actually seen action in this war, he was just the newcomer. All he had done was guard an escape route for soldiers to get out through. It was almost embarrassing to have so little knowledge about the war for having been on the move.

One by one, the couriers were picked up by their captains, all of them saying their goodbyes and heading for the London covert. Liberty watched them go, most of his attention on the skies for the German dragons, in case there was an air raid during the night. The skies were clear for flying, but the German dragons might have been tied up at the front.

"Is this him?" Liberty turned his head to look at the back entrance of the tavern. A man in a bowler hat was staring at him, speaking to someone inside. "He's a bit obvious."

"He flies well and he's experienced." Steve stepped out. "Liberty's got my back and he'll protect the rest of you too. We'll be his crew. That's guaranteed protection."

Liberty huffed and lifted his head from the ground, rolling to one side to get one shoulder lower to the ground. "I don't have to give any of you a ride back. Steve and Bucky can come with me. The rest have to walk."

There were mutters of outrage from the group, Bucky the only one to laugh and jog over. Liberty held still as Bucky climbed up, sitting through the enthusiastic pat on his neck. "We need to get you a harness. I don't want to cling to these spines again."

"Stark is working on it."

"Stark?" Steve boosted himself up, settling into the captain's spot. "You got a meeting with him too?"

"So says Peggy." Liberty went to stand up, but Steve's hand on his shoulder kept him on the ground. He growled, glancing at the group of five men who were waiting by the door. He rolled his eyes and stayed put, holding still as the men clambered onto him. He turned his head to look at the men, sighing. "So this is our crew. I thought it would be bigger."

"Not for the stuff we're doing. Smaller is better."

"I'll take your word for it." Liberty hauled himself up and pushing off of the ground in one smooth movement. He circled once before heading back to the covert. On his back, he could hear the men arguing about how long they were going to stay, smiling when he heard Steve cut in.

"We'll be the only crew he has. So, we learn how to harness, how to fly. We learn everything we can. Then we go." There were annoyed mutters in return, but nothing with any real heart in it. Liberty hummed to himself, adjusting for the headwind, happy with the weight of a crew on his back again.

* * *

"We could have used more of that vibranium, but we'll settle with scale mail." Stark tugged at one of the straps of the harness, letting it snap back against his scales before moving along his side. "It's far better than the chain mail that they still use. It's small enough to stop artillery rounds but nearly useless against bullets now. This way, there'll be no bullets wedged in your hide until your crew can yank them out."

The last comment was made with a pat to his shoulder, Liberty lifting up a wing at Howard's signal. Stark ducked under the wing, continuing to check the lay of the strap. "They should be easy enough for your crew, just attach it right to the clips on the harness. And it should protect all of the important parts."

"Should?"

Stark ignored him, coming back to his front to lean against the stack of armor. "Not risking any artillery on you, so your crew is just going to have to shoot from guns and I expect your spines can protect from most attacks from above. So that just leaves your crew's safety. They can shoot fine, so all you have to worry about it them staying on. Which is solved by this." He held up a long strap, extending it before shortening it again. "These are Stark Tech, far superior to that old leather stuff. Guaranteed not to snap or break under pressure, even if you roll your way to Japan. These will make worrying about fancy aerial maneuvers a thing of the past."

The strap was tossed onto the pile, Stark crossing his arms across his chest with a grin. Liberty sighed and turned his head to poke at the new harness, finding it strange to have something other than leather on him. It didn't chafe, not that he could tell, but he was sure that Stark had added padding. It felt soft enough when he poked it with his nose. Other than it not being made of leather, it felt enough like a real harness and it moved like one to.

He stood up on his hind legs and gave himself a rough shake. He could hear the men on the ground rushing away as he flapped his wings, resisting the urge to shake harder just to prove he was better than something that Howard Stark had made. Stark had had the gall to show up in his plane, Liberty could still smell it on the other side of the covert. He grumbled as he came back down to all fours, the harness settling neatly back into place. Liberty didn't look at Stark as he folded his wings to the side. "All lies well."

"I thought so." Liberty looked up as Stark turned around. "Captain! Come to see while I've done to your dragon."

"Sure. What have you got?" Steve strolled up, glancing at the pile of armor before tapping on it, making a face at the sound it made. The expression disappeared quickly, Steve leaning on the pile and gesturing at Liberty. "Run me through it."

Stark went through the spiel again, puffing himself up as soon as he was done. The worst part was that Steve looked suitably impressed. Liberty rolled his eyes and stepped closer, looming over Stark. "Your approval?"

Steve nodded slowly. "It'll work. Hopefully, it'll last." The last comment was made with a brief look towards Stark. "We're going to be abusing it."

"It'll last. It'll take more than hard wear to break any of this, and that's a guarantee." Stark rolled his shoulders, gesturing to the group of people that had followed him into the covert. "Let's see about the rest of your little team then."

Stark and his group walked off, leaving the pile of armor to one side. The ground crew that was attending Liberty for the moment scrambled forward to unhook the harness, Liberty helping by lifting straps that were too far up for them to reach. The harness was tucked along side of the armor, Liberty settling back to the ground and nudging at it. He huffed, resting his muzzle on the harness. "Let's see if these last as long as that transponder."

"That wasn't his fault, it was mine. Nothing stands up well to an explosion."

"I hope we aren't going to use that test."

Steve shook his head, walking over to settle down one of Liberty's forelegs. It was only then that Liberty noticed the circular shield that Steve was cradling. Liberty craned his head, staring down at the red, white and blue shield. "That your new toy?"

He just nodded, rubbing his fingers along the edge of the shield. Liberty watched him, amused at how attached Steve seemed to be to the shield already. Steve probably didn't know that he was stroking the shield, which was a funny thought. Liberty shook his head, pressing the tip of his muzzle against the top of Steve's head.

That seemed to wake him up from his reverie, Steve reaching up to bat Liberty's muzzle away. "Yes. The old one got busted. Stark says this one will hold." Liberty reached over to tap it with a talon, blinking at the ringing sound. Steve just laughed and stroked his hand over the shield, like it would calm the sound. "It's made of vibranium. Strongest metal on earth according to Stark."

"So that's were it all went. Apparently that's what my armor was going to be made of." Steve gave him a consoling pat, his other hand still holding tightly to his shield. "Have you seen any of the things Stark has made for the others?"

"Not yet, but I expect I will when I bring them up here for practice. More harness work today. If we're lucky we'll get off the ground."

Liberty glanced up at the sky, relieved that it wasn't cloudy. He wanted to be able to fly for a bit, just to stretch his wings more than the short hops into London and back. If it had been raining he was sure that Steve wouldn't allow him to go up. It would be an experience for the men, but Liberty doubted that Steve would risk the men in the air. "I hope so."

* * *

Every mission so far had gone off without a hitch. Their team had successfully crossed into enemy lines and had taken out three of the Hydra facilities thus far. Every time they had left a burning ruin of a facility behind them, a few examples of new Hydra tech stowed safely in Liberty's belly-netting. They hadn't seen hide nor hair of the Red Skull, so they must have been keeping ahead of him, well within Steve's plan to hit every facility hard and fast. And, surprisingly, their little team worked seamlessly together. They had taken to fighting aboard a dragon like a duck to water, just as they had taken to running covert operations. Everything had fallen into a pattern, easy as clockwork.

Then, suddenly, the easy pattern stopped.

Liberty roared and twisted in the air, barely listening to the commands that Steve was shouting back to the rest of the Howling Commandos. He could hear the click of the few guns they had, most of the others had already switched to the Hydra guns that they had stolen, all save for Steve and Bucky. Liberty glanced below him, searching for the tell tale flash of light that signaled artillery being lobbed up at them. To his relief, there wasn't any fire from below, which just left them with one problem.

He looked up just in time to bring up his front legs, digging his talons into the chest of the dragon that was coming at him. Liberty grunted at the impact, only his outermost talons sinking in, the rest slid across the thick scale that ran along the underside of the dragon. He pushed away, flapping his wings to get away and turn so his crew could fire on the other dragon's.

"It's an Athanaric!" The call came from the back. Liberty turned his head to look at Jim Morita, watching the man tuck the identification sheet away. "No fire, no acid. Just avoid the spikes."

Liberty huffed, turning his attention to the other dragon. Along the back of the Athanaric was a line of black spikes from his forehead to his tail, making attack from above impossible. Attack from below was equally as difficult because of the thicker scales. Thankfully, the dragon didn't have much in the way of armor, probably a show of how much Hydra cared little for dragons. Liberty had never seen a more technologically oriented organization, and that was counting Stark Industries. He could attack from the sides easily, just rip into the Athanaric's flanks and hope that would be enough to drive it away. Considering Hydra's stance on dragons, Liberty was sure that the man in the captain's position wasn't even the dragon's real captain, so threatening his life would do nothing.

He snarled, glancing back at Steve. "Try for a broadside."

Steve nodded, shouting out the order to the rest of the Howling Commandos as Liberty dropped under the Athanaric. Thankfully, the other dragon wasn't too much bigger than he was. The Athanaric was a middleweight, longer and more muscular than he was, but still a manageable middleweight. Liberty turned as soon as he was out from under the dragon, opening his mouth and breathing a fireball. It hit the Athanaric's shoulder, Liberty holding steady as the men on his back fired at the Hydra soldiers. Three fell limp in their straps and seven dissolved away completely, Liberty getting the chance to rake his talons along the dragon's hindquarters.

Liberty turned just enough to use the Athanaraic's hindquarters to push off of, just clearing the spikes before snaking his head around to bite at the other dragon's wing. The Athanaraic screamed, trying to twist away. Liberty grinned around his mouthful of membrane and flesh, shifting to get a better grip with his talons when he saw Steve jump off his back out of the corner of his eye. He pulled his head back from the other dragon's wing. "Steve!"

He just got a quick wave for an answer before Steve clipped onto the other dragon. Bucky was quick to follow, Liberty turning his head to snap at Bucky, missing as the man knelt to clip onto the Athanaraic. Dugan and Gabriel Jones followed, merrily working their way through the remaining crew.

Liberty hissed, pushing off of the Athanaraic before the two of them could plummet to the ground. If Steve and some of his crew had boarded, then Liberty wasn't going to take the chance that they would all be thrown to the ground. He kept pace beside the other dragon, occasionally knocking himself against its side. He didn't want the Athanaraic to turn around and head for Germany. That would leave him at a disadvantage. He didn't want to be forced to land in the middle of a fully functional Hydra facility without a plan or in full possession of his crew. Annoyed at being unable to do anything, Liberty contented himself with spitting sparks at the Athanaraic. The other dragon roared and tried to snap at him, Liberty reaching forward to scratch the dragon's muzzle.

The Athanaraic pulled away, Liberty chasing after him. He managed to keep up with the other dragon, grinning when he saw Steve deliver a hit with his shield, the Hydra soldier in the captain's place slumping in his straps. Liberty wasn't close enough to see if the man was dead or not. Liberty bumped into the Athanaraic, on the point of clambering onto the other dragon again when the Athanaraic dove for the ground. It settled there quietly, its head lowered.

Liberty landed beside it, turning his head to hiss at the dragon when the Athanaraic bared its teeth. The dragon settled after that, wings drooping and sides heaving.

Steve unclipped from the Athanaraic's harness and slid from the dragon's back. The rest of the Howling Commandos joined him on the ground, Bucky sheathing his knife from cutting the dead men off of the dragon. Steve motioned for them to come closer, Liberty only lowering his head so he could keep an eye on the other dragon.

"Apparently that _was_ his captain." Steve pulled off his helmet, running a hand through his hair. "So we've just captured ourselves a dragon."

From Liberty's experience, an announcement like that would have been followed by cheers from the soldiers. Instead, there were just sideways glances from everyone. Liberty huffed and rolled his eyes, annoyed by the way he could see the conversation going. He snarled at the other dragon, before lying down on the ground. "Are we going to take him back?"

Bucky shrugged and aimed his gun at the Athanaraic's head. "Can we trust him to fly for us?"

"No." Liberty snorted, tapping his talons against the ground. "We killed his captain, so assigning another one will just get a whole crew flown back to Germany…unless he hated it there. I'm not willing to trust that alone. And, if we take him back, then he'll just be sent back to the breeding grounds, probably in Britain. I don't know what they would want to do with him."

Bucky raised the gun. "So we just shoot him?"

"No." Steve was putting his helmet back on, strapping it into place. "We'll take him back with us. Maybe something can be done with him. It's more important to take care of the one Hydra dragon we've seen. The facility can wait for a day. There's a few soldiers who would be glad to see another dragon. He can haul stuff if he doesn't want to go to a breeding ground."

Liberty sighed, shaking his head. They would lose a day for this, but that's what he got for thinking that they could hold their pattern of good look. It wouldn't be too bad, as long as the Athanaraic didn't decide to try and fight back or snap at him. Judging by the way that the other dragon was acting, the Athanaraic would be no problem. Liberty glared at the other dragon, lowering his head so his muzzle was resting on Bucky's shoulder. He tried to keep his voice as low as possible, but he was sure that a few of the Howling Commandos heard him. "If he's too much trouble, kill him."

Bucky laughed and reached up to pat Liberty's muzzle. "Roger big fella."

Liberty crooned as Bucky's fingers slid under his chin and scratching there. He leaned into the touch, feeling Bucky tremble under the weight that was being put on him. When he jokingly called for help, the others just laughed and began climbing aboard again.

"Hey Steve, your lizard won't get off of me."

"Ask politely. That's always worked for me." Liberty could hear the smirk in Steve's voice. "Come on, Bucky. We've got a dragon to escort back to the lines."

"Steve. He won't-" Bucky let out a smothered yelp as Liberty picked him up by the back of his jacket, holding him delicately in his mouth. Liberty turned and placed the soldier on his back, chuckling when Bucky slapped his muzzle away. He waited patiently as Bucky clipped in, the other Howling Commandos nudging him and laughing while Steve looked on impatiently.

Liberty turned his head to nudge at the Athanaraic, the other dragon jerking out of his reverie. Liberty narrowed his eyes, baring his teeth in a silent threat. He had seen the way the other dragon was staring enviously at his crew and he wasn't comfortable while what it meant. The Athanaraic had lost his crew; it had kept fighting instead of giving up when it should have. It wasn't going to be getting his crew.

He stood up, mantling his wings and hissing at the Athanaraic. The other dragon started to its feet, taking to the air with a nudge from Liberty. Liberty flew after it, keeping just on the dragon's shoulder. To his relief, the Athanaraic chose to behave, but part of that was probably Bucky sitting with his gun ready for a shot at the dragon's head. The shock of loosing a captain was probably setting in, the idea making Liberty wish that he could fly with his head turned so he could see Steve. He just had to settle for Steve resting a hand on his neck as he flew.

* * *

"Zola was just given permission to open up the engines." Gabriel pulled the headphones off, giving them all a level look as he reached for his gun.

Steve nodded, Liberty having to lean a bit further on the ledge that he was on to see his captain. Steve tipped his head up, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. Liberty wasn't happy about the plan, but he nodded. He backed further up on his ledge and spread his wings, pressing as close to the rock as he could. There was a zip line already set up and three were going over, leaving four to hold the ledge. Liberty and the rest were back up. If Steve, Bucky and Gabriel missed the train, then the others would decide whether to use the zip line or to have Liberty fly them over.

If Liberty had had his way, he would have been flying back and forth in the ravine. But, as Steve had rightly pointed out, he was too noticeable because of the bright colors on his top line and the ravine was just barely big enough for him. The tips of his wings would brush up against the side with every stroke, which would make climbing a much faster option.

Still, he had his orders. He had to stay back until Dugan told him otherwise.

He peered over the edge again as Jacques gave the signal, Steve the first one to slide out. Liberty tipped his head to the side, hoping that it would keep him hidden and able to watch Steve and the others. It worked until they disappeared into the train, only Gabriel remaining on top as a guard.

Liberty sighed and rolled himself upright, wriggling to the edge and peering down at the four remaining Commandos. They were all preparing their harnesses, checking their straps and settling their guns in place so they could swing onto his back quickly. The transmitter they had been listening to was strapped to Jacques' back, Dugan double checking all of the straps. Liberty looked away from them, settling into a crouch and narrowing his eyes. Everything seemed to be going according to Steve's plan.

The four Howling Commandos settled down on their ledge, speaking in whispers to each other. Liberty was almost completely off of his ledge, staring at the train. All of them jumped at the loud explosion that came from the train, Liberty sliding off of his ledge before anyone could say anything.

He flew above the train tracks, not wanting to risk slowing himself down and scraping his wings on the edges of the ravine. From his position by the last car of the train he could see where the side of one car had peeled back, almost until it was resting completely parallel to the other cars. Clinging to the rails on that had once been inside the car were Bucky and Steve. Liberty grunted and tried to speed up, the updraft from the ravine lifting him up instead of speeding him forward. He growled, trying to flap harder, trying to fly faster to catch up to the train.

He was still just pulling even with the third car from the back when Bucky lost his hold on the railing and fell.

Liberty swore and dove, pulling his wings in close to his sides as he plummeted into the ravine. He had to close his second eyelid over his eyes because of the wind, almost closing his eyes completely as he rushed downward. Bucky was still falling further ahead of him, still too far away to catch no matter how much he stretched out his neck. If he stretched out a foreleg at this point it would slow him down even further. Liberty let out a desperate sound, trying to bring his wings even closer to reduce drag, but it wasn't enough. Bucky hit the ground too far ahead for him to catch.

Snow flew up around him as he landed, digging desperately at the snow where Bucky had fallen. He had to switch to his muzzle soon after, he didn't want to harm Bucky's body with his talons. Because that's what Bucky was now, just a body. There was no way that a human could survive a fall from that height, despite the presence of the snow. He cleaned out the snow around Bucky the best that he could before gently nosing the body, unable to stop himself from hoping that Bucky managed to survive despite logic. The body just moved limply when he nudged it when his nose, Liberty keening softly when it didn't respond.

Liberty backed up, shaking as he began to push snow back over the body. He didn't want to leave it there, it was still Bucky. But he needed his talons free for tearing apart everyone on that train. Steve was still up there and probably still in trouble. He wouldn't be losing any more of his crew today. They would come back for Bucky once he was done, Liberty was sure that he would be able to remember the spot. He was sure that he would never be able to forget about the spot.

He pushed the last of the snow over Bucky's body, standing over the temporary grave for a moment with his head lowered. Liberty remained perfectly still for his moment of silence before pushing off of the ground with force, trying to get as far out of the ravine as he could before he had to open his wings. When the time came, he didn't hesitate to snap them open, not caring or feeling the way that the edges of his wings scraped against the walls. He just needed to fly as fast as he could to get back to the train.

He cleared the ravine, breathing a fireball out at the train. It struck one of the cars, the fireball not causing much harm, but it made him feel better. Liberty growled and focused on flapping harder. He inched along the cars, reaching the front where Gabriel was making a move towards the glass front of the train. Liberty gave his head a hard shake, turning so he could land on the tracks. He reared up onto his hind legs, grabbing the front of his train and bracing himself.

For a moment he was pushed along the tracks, then he spread his wings and started beating them. Balance caught, Liberty bowed his head and took a step forward, gratified to hear the train grinding along the tracks. He couldn't actually push the train backwards and he didn't dare derail it, that would kill Steve and Gabriel and he wasn't going to lose any more of his crew today.

The train screeched to a stop, the last few cars the only ones to skip from the tracks. Liberty stepped away, dropping down to all fours. Gabriel slipped from the top of the train, pointing at the glass. It didn't take more than a swing of his tail to break the glass and allow Gabriel to swing in through the window. Liberty got as close to the train as he could, growling as Gabriel threatened the two men inside with his gun. It didn't take long for Steve to come in through the door. He barely glanced at Liberty; he just stared at the two men.

They stood in silence for a while, Steve the first one to speak up. "We'll take them, both of them. One of them can tell us where the Red Skull is." Gabriel nodded and moved to cover the shorter man. Steve looked away as soon as Gabriel had secured the man, only then really acknowledging Liberty's presence. "Bucky?"

"I couldn't catch him." Liberty shook his head. "He's dead, Steve."

"You buried him?" He jerked at the abruptness in Steve's voice, not used to the tone. Liberty gave a jerky nod in response, Steve seeming satisfied by the answer. Steve took a step back, rubbing his fingers on the shield and remaining silent.

* * *

Steve set his glass down on the table with a little more force than necessary, watching out of the corner of his eye as Peggy jumped. For a moment, he contemplated pouring himself another drink before deciding that it wasn't worth the effort. He wasn't getting drunk; he had known that after the first hour. He just didn't want to go back to the covert or the bunker, didn't want to see the other Commandos trying to deal with their grief or people apologizing. The only one he had brought with him was Liberty, but only because the dragon hadn't left him alone since Bucky died.

He tipped the glass towards him, rolling it around on the table just to have something for his hands to do. Peggy took the chance to scoot forward, closer to the table. Steve was glad for her presence, but wished she would offer something other than the fact that it wasn't his fault. It was, he should have been able to plan ahead, or had called for a two pronged assault instead of getting so confident that all of the other attacks had gone off without a hitch.

He sighed and set the glass upright again. "Peggy-"

"There's a chance Zola will talk." Peggy cut him off, leaning over the table. It was familiar in a way, more familiar than her trying to comfort him. This Peggy was all business, just what he needed at the moment. Peggy pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, sighing. "It's more than likely we'll get the location of his last base from him. Colonel Phillips is pushing him for it, but he doesn't have much of a choice. His choice has narrowed to cooperating with us or dying with the Red Skull."

"He doesn't look like someone who would want to die."

Peggy shook her head. "No. But it will give us what we want and a way to end this. Maybe end the war."

She looked around the destroyed bar, Steve trying his best not to follow her gaze. He didn't want to be reminded of the destruction that was going on, at least not at the moment. Still, a chance to end it was more than enough to get him interested. If they took down Hydra, then there wouldn't be another opposing force to worry about. From what he heard through the news, the Allies were winning. Rumors were starting to drift around the covert that it would only be a matter of months before the war ended.

It was a few months too late for Bucky.

He became aware of the muffled keening from Liberty. The dragon had been making the noise since they had settled down, keeping his head under his wing and, from the sound of the noise, his muzzle pressed against his skin. Steve flinched at the sound, looking down at the table. Liberty was keeping quiet because they had come out in the middle of one of the air raids that the Luftwaffe ran over London. Steve still wasn't sure about the intelligence of that decision, although it had been towards the end of the run when the dragons were returning to their base. He had just needed to get out and Liberty had just been there, he hadn't really been thinking about either of them.

Steve shook his head. "What do we do?"

"We wait for the information and then the calls will be made." Peggy stood up, pushing away from the table. Steve didn't protest as she took the alcohol and empty glass from him, setting them both on the counter. When that was done, she came over to lean on the table, having to tilt herself to the side to even meet Steve's eyes. "He wouldn't want you to do this."

"No. But he would understand that the Red Skull needs to be stopped. Bucky wouldn't care about any other reasons I had, as long as I didn't get myself killed."

It wasn't the answer that Peggy had been looking for, Steve could tell that much by the way she sighed and stepped back from the table. To his relief, Peggy didn't call him on it, instead buttoning up her jacket and giving him a nod. "See that you don't."

Steve turned to watch her walk from the room, expecting her to pick her way through the debris to the front. Instead, she made her way to the back where the dragon yard was. Steve leaned back in his chair, peering through the space between two fallen beams. Peggy approached Liberty, waiting by his forelegs until he untucked his head from under his wing. Liberty peered out at her before resting his muzzle on his forelegs, Peggy crouching down by his head. The spoke for some while, Steve watching as Liberty pulled his wings closer to his body and tried to curl up further. Peggy just reached out and stroked his muzzle.

He sighed and pushed away from the table, stepping over the scattered remains of the other tables and chairs in the room before ducking under a place where the roof had sagged in, nearly to the point of collapsing. Out of habit alone he used the door, ignoring the gaping hole in the wall. Steve stepped out into the yard, surprised when Liberty raised his head. He hesitated for a moment more before walking over to the dragon, letting himself be herded into a place on Liberty's foreleg. The dragon dropped his head down, shielding Steve on one side. Steve's other side was covered when Liberty lifted his wing, holding it at an angle that had to be uncomfortable for the dragon, but the wing covered both him and Peggy. Steve reached up to stroke the smaller scales under Liberty's eye, the dragon leaning into the touch but not making a sound. He jumped as he felt Peggy rest a hand on his shoulder, turning to smile up at her in thanks.

Peggy just nodded, leaning over him to rest her other hand on Liberty's head, just below Steve's own. After a moment of hesitation, she slid her hand so it was resting half over Steve's and half on Liberty's scales. There was no way Steve could begin to thank Peggy for the small motion of comfort, so he let the silence speak for both him and Liberty.

* * *

Steve looked over the controls of the plane, translating what German he had learned from Gabriel as a distraction from what he was about to do. There had to be some way out, some Plan B that he had just overlooked. Liberty had warned him that Steve tended to get fixated on one plan and would do better to try and think of other ones. But he couldn't, there was only one option that he had and the window that he had to work in was rapidly closing.

Suddenly he wished that he had allowed Liberty to come instead of ordering him to stay in the hanger and continue to destroy what planes that he could and help the army. He was sure that Liberty would have been able to keep up with the plane and then he would have had a way out. Then again, he wasn't sure he would have had a dragon. The plane was flying higher and faster than any dragon he had flown on. Liberty would have killed himself to get Steve to the plane and then back to the Red Skull's base. Liberty was someone that he was not willing to lose.

He swallowed and reached over to flip on the radio. There would be someone in the command center in the lair, they could go and get Peggy. She was the one person that he wanted to talk to when he was about to crash a plane into the ocean, although he couldn't figure out what to say for the life of him.

"This is Captain Rogers. Anyone there?"

"Captain-"

"Steve!" He jumped at the sound of Peggy's voice over the radio. Steve smiled, almost laughing in relief. It didn't last long, just long enough for him to look out of the wall of windows in front of him. "Steve, what's going on?"

"I've secured the plane, but it's going down fast."

"Just…" Peggy's voice broke. When she spoke, she was back in drill sergeant mode. "Give us your coordinates, we'll give you a route. Keep that thing in the air long enough to help you."

"I can't do that. This thing is moving too fast." He couldn't look away from the little blinking light on the map read out that was labeled New York. He was heading for home, but not in the way that he had ever wanted. Steve swallowed and braced himself in the chair. "Right now I'm in the middle of nowhere. If I wait any longer, a lot of people are gonna die."

"Steve, just keep that thing flying. We'll get you out of this. We can-"

"Peggy, this is my choice." He was done trying to think about other plans; especially ones that he wasn't sure would work. This he _knew_ would work, and that made all the difference. It was just a good thing that he couldn't see Peggy, or else his resolve would seriously be tested, not that he would turn around now. "Do me a favor and look after Liberty. It's no fair that he's gonna lose a captain for this. Make sure he doesn't disappear into the breeding grounds again."

"Of course."

Steve smiled, sending the map back to his current location. If he had a choice of where he was going to crash the plane, he wanted it to be on land or close to it. The ocean was going to be freezing and he didn't want to have to swim too far; if escape was even an option. Landing on ice would be worse; Steve couldn't be sure how the impact would affect the plane or how it would land. His only experience had been with flying a dragon and Steve was sure that even the best pilot they had wouldn't be able to land a plane safely on ice with the engines quickly losing power.

He took a deep breath, trying to keep himself calm until the end. Because he was probably going to die here, the odds weren't exactly in his favor of stumbling away from this crash whole. But that was alright, the Red Skull was dead and the Allies were well on their way to beating Hitler and his Reich. Then again, it wasn't alright because he was leaving behind Peggy, Peggy and all the wonderful things he wanted to do with her.

He had been going to date her properly once the war was over, trying to woo her without tripping over his own feet. During his downtime after missions, Steve had even allowed himself to imagine proposing to her. Of course, he would have had to figure out where he and Liberty fit between the army and the air force, but he was sure that Peggy wouldn't have minded being the wife to the captain of a dragon. Steve even had the sneaking suspicion that she would end up serving on Liberty in some way.

He shifted in the pilot's seat, digging out his compass and placing it on the console. Steve looked over at the picture of Peggy that he had cut out of a newspaper, the only picture that Steve had managed to find of her. He hadn't wanted to include a picture that he had drawn of her himself, he wanted something that was as close to the original as he could get. Right now, he didn't want to be alone. Peggy's voice over the radio was fine, but he just wanted her to be the last thing he saw before he crashed.

Under his hands, the control wheel jerked, Steve tightening his grip. He cleared his throat, struggling to keep his voice level. "Gonna need a rain check on that dance."

"Alright." It was a relief to hear Peggy laugh, even if it was just a little and it almost sounded like a sob. "Next Saturday, eight o'clock on the dot at the Stork Club. Don't you dare be late."

"You got it." He could see land ahead of him, just a long plane of white. Steve found that he couldn't stop staring at it, watching as it came closer. He blinked quickly, glancing back at the picture of Peggy as he spoke. "You know, I still don't know how to dance."

"I'll teach you." There it was, the little bit of exasperation that made him smile. Peggy wasn't really frustrated with him, just amused by what he had said. That tone of voice would usually be followed by a twitch from the corner of her mouth as she tried to keep a serious face. Steve could just imagine her telling herself that one of them had to be the serious one in moments like these. It was gone as fast as it appeared, Steve's small smile disappearing when he heard the sob return to Peggy's voice. "Just be there."

He gave Peggy's picture a mournful look. What he really wanted to do was tell Peggy that he would be there. But he couldn't lie to her, not when he didn't know if he would make it through the crash. Instead, he just continued on, like the ground wasn't rushing up towards him. "We'll have the band play something slow. I'd hate to step on your-"

Steve wasn't sure if the word feet went through the radio. The plane's nose hit the ice, the remaining windows shattering. Steve was thrown from the seat as the plane plowed through the snow, hearing the metal groan. He groped for his shield, pulling it close to his body as the plane skewed to one side. He tucked himself behind his shield, listening as the plane continued to slide across the ice and snow.

It seemed to go on forever, Steve keeping up his death grip on the straps of the shield, ignoring the aches of his own body as he waited for the plane to stop. The plane did so with a jerk that threw him back against the main console, Steve cursing as his head cracked against it. He slumped against the floor, his vision swimming for a moment before he blacked out.

* * *

Liberty waited in the hangar, staring out at the semi-circle he could see of the sky through the open doors. He had been told to stay here to help with the destruction of the last Hydra base when Steve had gone after the plane. He had wanted to protest, but orders were orders. Still, now there was nothing left to do. All of the planes and tanks that hadn't been marked for destruction were being moved away while the rest were just smoking piles of twisted metal. Hydra soldiers were being rounded up and taken away while other crews of men worked to pull the bodies that remained outside where the Hydra soldiers would be buried and the Allied soldiers would be sent back by dragon. He ignored the stares that the Hydra soldiers were giving him as he lay in the middle of the hangar. He wasn't there to help clean up, he was waiting for Steve.

He lowered his head, trying to see beyond where the hangar was built into the mountain. He would have been outside, but it was too cold for him to wait for too long before he just fell asleep. Steve might need him, so he needed to stay warm and ready to fly.

Slowly, the hangar cleared out, Liberty not paying attention as the last plane was hauled out to the end of the runway and taken up by a dragon. He vaguely noticed that the rest of his crew hadn't returned to him, which was strange because Liberty had always been the rendezvous point, he was hard to miss. Even when he and Steve had gone in alone, the rest of his crew had hurried to where he had been brought in to free him. It was what had given them the advantage in the hangar as Liberty had started his destruction long before the Red Skull had come running in to make his escape. Liberty shifted, stretching out his wings and then refolding them to have a better take off time. As soon as the order came from the command center at the back of the hangar, he would be off.

The command was slow in coming. Liberty tracked the sun through the sky, losing track of time when the sun was obscured by clouds sometime in the late afternoon. He just snorted and turned his full attention back to the sky. He wasn't going to miss Steve coming in.

The sound of heels on concrete made him turn his head, Liberty nodding at Peggy. He intended to turn right back around and focus on the sky, but the look on her face made him stop. Peggy hadn't bothered to clean the tears off of her face, something that Liberty knew she made an effort to do. Any kind of weakness wasn't welcome in Peggy's position; she had worked too hard to get this far only to lose it over a silly misunderstanding.

Liberty tapped the concrete with a talon, trying to encourage Peggy to come closer. He would try to talk to her the best that he could, distracted as he was. Peggy didn't move from where she was standing, Liberty huffing and curling his tail around her as some kind of protection from anyone around. "Do we need to go? The Howling Commandos can be on in less than thirty seconds. Just give us coordinates."

There was only one thing that could get Peggy like this, and that was Steve. It was a relief to know that Steve had contacted someone instead of letting them wait around in the hangar until he showed up again. Liberty would have preferred that he had been called as well, just so the orders could have been given to him faster. Steve did well by himself, but sometimes his captain needed saving, despite his competence.

Peggy pressed her hand against her mouth and shook her head, leaning back on Liberty's tail. "It's too late for that."

"There's still plenty of daylight. We can start to make headway. Now, coordinates."

"No. Liberty," she took a deep breath, "he went down with the plane. Steve's…He's…"

Liberty didn't hear what she said, too focused on the chocked feeling in his throat. It almost felt like he was going to breathe one of his fireballs, but it lacked the taste of ash. Instead, it felt far too familiar and suddenly he was back over a muddy field in France, listening to the screams from the men on his back. He threw his head back and keened, the sound echoing in the hangar.

The click of heels made him look back down, Liberty lowering his head and pressing it against Peggy. She grabbed onto him and wrapped her arms around his muzzle. He whimpered, feeling her tears fall onto his scales. Liberty stood up just enough to move his body, curling completely around Peggy before tucking them both under his wing.

* * *

It had been a week since was Steve had been reported dead and made a hero for what he had done. In the ultimate of ironies, Germany had surrendered the next day, kicking off a round of celebrations. Liberty hadn't seen the Howling Commandos since the announcement that Steve was dead. They had all come to gather their stuff before heading off for the tavern. There had been an open invitation for him, but Liberty hadn't felt like making the effort. The Commandos would just drink and reminisce about Steve, which would only make the fact that Steve wasn't there hurt more.

Liberty squeezed his eyes shut, ignoring the sounds of the other dragons coming and going from the covert. Everyone was celebrating their victory over the Nazis, which was why Liberty had come out to the far edge of the covert. He didn't want to hear about how he should be proud that his captain had died fighting for the good of the world, he didn't want to rationalize why Steve was dead. It wouldn't bring Steve back, nothing would do that. Maybe that was how other dragons could deal with the grief of losing a captain and how they allowed themselves to be saddled with another one so soon after, but Liberty couldn't do that. And, for that, he was treated like a mere hatchling.

He snarled, digging his talons into the mud. He didn't want to put up with their stupidity or the attempts of the humans in the covert. Liberty was tired of being offered food that he didn't want or having the argument that Steve would want him to eat used against him. One man had had the gall to point out that, if he ate, he would be ready to fly when Steve got back. Liberty had snapped at the man, like he hadn't known that Steve was dead.

"I'm here to visit Sentinel of Liberty." He lifted his head slightly at the sound of a familiar voice. Liberty couldn't hear the reply that Peggy got, but he could hear her response fine. "I am aware that is captain is dead. He's not a dangerous animal, he's mourning. And your man deserved what he got for telling Liberty that. Now, get out of my way."

There was another pause, Liberty smiling as the listened to the conversation. "Don't give me that. I know for a fact that you have women as captains on your precious Longwings. My mother's aunt was one of them. I have been around this dragon for a good few years now and I think I know how to handle him."

The man must have lost the argument, because Peggy marched over to Liberty without an escort. For good measure, Liberty lifted his head and spat sparks in the direction that he had heard the man heading off in. Peggy retaliated by slapping his foreleg.

"Stop it. You have better manners than that. Just because you're sad doesn't mean you can take it out on others."

Liberty huffed and lowered his head. "I thought you were on my side."

"When you're not making an idiot of yourself, yes." Peggy sighed and pushed her hair back behind her ears. "Honestly, if I hear that you are picking fights with other dragons I won't come and save you. I swear, you and Steve are-"

She cut herself off, swallowing before looking away. "Forgive me. That was uncalled for."

Liberty grunted, not really sure if he wanted to accept the apology. He didn't want to be reminded of how much he was like Steve. He searched for a distraction, finding one in Peggy. The dress and shoes she was wearing were completely unsuited to walking around the covert where it mostly mud where there weren't dragon pavilions. At least any stray flecks of blood that Peggy may have picked up walking through the covert would be hidden by the red of her dress. Usually Peggy was more conscientious of these sorts of things, Liberty had never seen her wear anything that would do anything less than blend her into her environment.

He crooned softly, reaching out his muzzle to touch the hem of her dress. To his surprise, Peggy didn't jerk away. She just absently patted his muzzle. "I just didn't want to be alone tonight. I've had a few drinks, not enough to really be drunk, just too tipsy for my own comfort. All because my date crashed the plane he was flying."

Liberty would have growled at her, but Peggy was standing with her arms wrapped around her stomach, looking like she was about to cry. He shuffled forward, intending to try and comfort her when she held up a hand. After a few deep breaths, Peggy reached up to wipe the tears from her eyes with a sigh. "I'm not trying to dishonor his memory, I'm just so sick of being told that it's alright to cry and that time will heal all. I'm just so tired of being sad that being angry at him is almost easier."

"Peggy…"

"I had a date." Peggy took a deep breath, holding her arms away from her sides. She twirled in place, Liberty politely tapping his talons together as the dress spun out around her. "We did, and he promised that he would come. I was going to teach him to dance. It was going to be perfect because the war is over and we don't have to think about things like what if I die in the field tomorrow. I was able to hold out hope that Steve was just trekking his way back to England and us. After this…I don't think I can, because Steve always kept his promises."

Liberty opened his mouth to offer his apologies before shaking his head. Peggy was probably as sick of them as he was. Instead, he sat up, lifting up one foreleg and encouraging Peggy to hold onto one of his talons. Very carefully, he guided her into a spin, letting Peggy take the lead as she slipped into a proper dance, Liberty humming a Sinatra song as a counterpart. They carried on until Liberty ran out of what he remembered from the song, Peggy giving him a curtsy before taking a step back.

He chuckled at the sad picture the two of them made. They were probably the only people who were celebrating the victory like this. Liberty sighed and set his foreleg back down, glancing up at the sky. "Do you want to go flying?"

"Well, I've never flown on a dragon."

Liberty jerked his head toward the pile that was his harness. "Help me into that and help yourself to one of those harnesses."

Peggy nodded and started to drag over the parts, Liberty helping her lift them into place and hold it while Peggy secured each strap. She slid down his side, leaving Liberty to rise up onto his hind legs and shake himself down. When he was sure that everything was secure, he dropped back down to all fours, watching as Peggy secured her own harness. She tugged the last strap tight, looking down at herself and laughing. "This is hardly proper attire."

Liberty just shrugged, offering her his foreleg as a leg up as Peggy stripped off her heels. She put them to one side before scrambling up onto his back. Liberty held as still as he could, turning his head when he didn't hear the snap of Peggy clipping in.

She was staring at the loop of metal right where Liberty's neck joined the rest of his body. She shivered before stepping to the right and back, clipping into the position that the first lieutenant held. Liberty let out the breath he had been holding as Peggy adjusted the straps, leaning back to see if they would take her weight. "All lies well."

"Hang on then." Liberty stood up, stretching out his wings before leaping into the air.

He heard Peggy yelp at the abrupt take off, the sound quickly turning into a laugh as he climbed. Liberty steadied himself, circling the covert once before heading for the country. He didn't want to fly over the city although the lights would be pretty. London was still completely destroyed in places from the German bombs and it would just be another reminder of the war. What they both needed was nothing but open countryside.

Liberty settled into a good pace, turning his head back to look at Peggy as she patted his side. She pushed her hair out of her face with one hand. "I'm good."

He nodded, sending himself into a loop and listening to Peggy laugh. He grinned and continued to do acrobatic tricks, bringing them back and forth around the countryside. It was almost like the better days again, when all he had to worry about is flying and looking after his captain and crew, far before the war and the one that followed. The two wars that had lost him his captains.

Liberty slowly made his way back to the covert, landing when he was too tired to keep flying. He was panting for breath, but happy with the work he had done. It had been a long while since he could just fly without any orders. Liberty crouched down close to the ground, waiting for Peggy to finish unhooking the straps of the harness. He reached out to steady her as she slid to the ground.

She pushed him away, walking over to retrieve her shoes. Peggy paused, reaching up to stroke Liberty's muzzle. "I'll see you around."

"I should hope so."

Peggy smiled at him before turning and walking out of the covert barefoot. Liberty stepped out of the hardness, picking up the straps in his mouth and dropping them in a pile with the rest of his stuff. He sat down, watching Peggy walk out of sight.


	2. But We'll Try Best That We Can to Carry On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title of the chapter is from the Styx song Come Sail Away.

Liberty landed carefully on the deck of the dragon transport, carefully avoiding the two lightweight dragons that were sprawled out on the deck. He spotted another dragon by the back of the transport, curled at the base of the control tower. Liberty dug his claws into the wooden deck when he recognized the dragon, trying his best not to growl out loud at the sight of the Athanaraic. He had thought that the dragon had been left behind in Britain after the war, not that he would be brought back to America. Then again, Liberty had no idea what Britain would want with him.

After the war, the nations were trying to get the populations of their dragons up while trying to make sure Germany did not. That was part of the reason that Liberty was so surprised to see that there were three dragons on the deck. The Air Force was trying it's best to reform their ranks, but they had a specific breeding program, one that didn't involve him. He was bad luck; all of the force knew that. And he didn't act like a proper dragon, didn't mourn for a year or so before moving on and looking for a new captain. He was stubborn, and the Air Force didn't want that breeding through. Besides, there were other Firecrackers that they could breed, decorated Firecrackers that had more on their records than being Captain America's dragon.

"Liberty." He perked up at the sound of Peggy's voice, carefully making his way over to the shadow of the control tower. He found Colonel Phillips, Peggy and Howard Stark standing around a table, far too close to the Athanaraic for his comfort. Liberty snorted, giving the other dragon a glare before turning his attention to the three around the table.

Peggy stepped around the table to reach for him, stroking him under his eye. "It's good to see you again."

"You too." Liberty settled to the deck, glancing at the papers. He narrowed his eyes, trying to read what was written on them, but they were far too small for him to read. He sighed and tipped his head to the side, looking over all three of them. "So, what did you call me here for?"

"Well, it seems like the powers that be were impressed with the way we handled Hydra during the war and want us to continue the job." Colonel Phillips leaned over the table to look him in the eye. "Considering that you are still technically under our jurisdiction seeing as you are registered as under Captain Rogers I thought it was a good idea to bring you on."

Liberty bristled. "I won't-"

"Take another captain, I know. And that won't fly with the Air Force. They think a dragon can only be trusted when it has a captain. Now I don't subscribe to that theory, I think you dragons can do just fine without captains. I remember my history." Phillips gave him a lopsided grin. "So, can we start negotiations with the Air Force or will you just go back to the breeding grounds to sire a new batch of little hatchlings?"

He snorted. "Count me in then."

"Good. Then we've got our full contingent of dragons. Now, I've got to yell at the Air Force until they agree." Colonel Phillips stood up and walked into the control tower.

Peggy rolled her eyes as soon as Phillips was out of sight. "Thank you for this."

"As he said, it's better than sitting around the breeding grounds."

"It might be. Or we might just be chasing after rumors." Peggy sighed, bracing herself over the table. "We're still a part of the military, Liberty. It will be the same drill. We're just a…special response team, the only one they've bothered to create for situations like this."

"We've been studying the mythologies of every civilization." Howard took his chance to chime in. "Trying to figure out how to stay ahead of these…people. So far, our main objective is to clean up Hydra."

Liberty shot a confused look at Peggy. He thought that they had stopped Hydra when Steve had killed the Red Skull. Peggy shook her head. "It's a clean up operation, ferreting the last of the organization. The Red Skull was the leader, but there are a few people who would love to restart Hydra. We've just got to keep them from doing that. We'll have crews in over the next few days and then get training. Stark will be making tech for us." Peggy flashed him a smile. "Welcome back to the SSR."

He snorted and stood up to claim a spot in the sun. Liberty paused when Peggy had a hurried discussion with Stark before jogging over to his side, holding a stack of folders in her arms. Liberty stretched out in the sun, Peggy sitting with her back against his foreleg. The folders were spread out along his leg, Liberty peering at the pictures and recognizing a good bunch of them. "The Howling Commandos?"

"All of them have volunteered to help us when we need them. Since they were originally part of your crew, I saw no reason to change it. Of course, we'll give you a full crew. All dragons will have a full crew. I suffered with an understaffed group long enough during the war. I don't want to do that again."

Liberty nosed at the folders, peering at all of the people that were going to be assigned to him. A few of them looked a little young, but he was willing to take any crew that he could at this point, as long as it kept him out of the breeding grounds. Even with Steve gone, he wanted to keep moving. If he had thought that the condolences that he kept getting from the other dragons and staff had been bad when he had still been in Britain, then it had gotten worse since he had gotten home. Older dragons had told him that his captain had been a brave man and would be remembered. The younger dragons had demanded stories about the great Captain America. No one had cared about Steve.

He finished looking through the folders, nosing them back towards Peggy with a nod of thanks. He watched as she gathered them up, his head tipped to his side. "I've been promised that I don't need to have a captain assigned, but someone will want that role. Army, Air Force, Navy, any of them will want someone they can report to, someone who is not a dragon."

"You will have a full array of commanding officers, minus captain." Peggy stood up and straightened her skirt. "I will be serving as your First Lieutenant. I'm not letting you out of my sight."

She nodded at him and walked away, Liberty watching her and shaking her head. It was a relief to know that Peggy would be going along. He was sure that most people would prefer that she stay back, for her own safety. Liberty didn't trust an order to stay back; it just meant that they were too far away when help needed to help. In his own opinion, the people he cared about were safer closer to him.

Liberty sighed, giving the Athanariac one last long look before closing his eyes. It wasn't the ideal situation, it was far from it. But he was ready to help anyone that was working to take out Hydra and to stick close to the crew he had managed to get. He had already lost his captain; he wasn't going to lose anyone else.

* * *

Liberty let his tail dangle off the side of the dragon transport deck, watching as the crews for the two lightweight dragons ran through drills. A few of them were raw recruits from the Air Force, the ones that had despaired of ever being put on a dragon because of the rarity of them at the moment. Most of them were veterans from the last war, the ones that weren't quite ready to settle down into life again. And none of the latter had ever been on a dragon. His own crew was comprised of much of the same, minus the Howling Commandos, who were due to arrive any day now.

He chuckled as a few of the recruits bumbled through the harnessing process, one of the lightweights giving him a put upon glance. Liberty just flicked a wing out, the lightweight nodding his head and going back to his nap. It was amazing that the lightweight could do that, especially with Peggy on the ground shouting orders to the men. There were quite a few on the sidelines holding ice to their jaws. Liberty was impressed with her ability to hit the same place on every person.

The sound of another dragon walking up towards him made him growl. Liberty turned his head, not surprised to see the Athanaraic standing to one side. He and the other lightweights had avoided the German dragon on principle. The war had only been over for a year, there were still resentments. Liberty hadn't been hurt by a German dragon, but the second of the lightweights had a nasty set of scars over his flanks from where he had been attacked by dragons during the war.

The Athanaraic froze, lowering his head. "Sorry. I was just…trying to find some sun."

Liberty snorted. "You want to watch too?"

"Yes? It is interesting." The Athanaraic lifted his head, peering at the drills before remembering himself and lowering his head. "Will I get a crew?"

"You're part of this operation. Although I don't know why."

The other dragon puffed up his chest. "I volunteered."

"To work against what your captain did?"

"I…I didn't like what he did. But he was my captain, so I had to follow orders."

"Too many people are using that excuse." That got a wince from the Athanaraic. Liberty didn't bother to hide that he was proud that he had got a reaction. He puffed himself up and raised his head so he was looking the other dragon in the eye. "Go find another place to sun."

For a moment, it looked like the Athanaraic was about to do just that. Then the dragon turned, getting close. Liberty let out a warning growl, surprised when the Athanaraic didn't listen. "I am sorry that your captain died. I could be happy because he killed my captain, but I'm not. I know what we did was horrible. But you would have done the same in my place. You would have followed your captain's orders in public and then argued with him in private, because that is what's done. Now, I'm making up for my faults, since my captain cannot make up for his own."

The Athanaraic snarled, Liberty leaning back in shock as the other dragon walked away. He glanced over at Peggy to see if she would come to his rescue, but she was too focused on the new recruits. Liberty huffed and lifted his tail out of the water, glaring at the Athanaraic as the dragon settled down. "I don't need your sympathy."

"And I don't need yours." The dragon sighed. "Since we are on a team, we can at least try to work together, your hatred of me aside."

"Your people killed my captain."

"From what I heard, his plane crashed. I had nothing to do with it."

"Both of them!" That made the Athanaraic looked over at him in shock. Liberty huffed. "Why couldn't you guys just take your loss the first time? Wasn't it bad enough then?"

"It wasn't me." The Athanaraic's tail slapped against the deck. "All the people that started that are dead or in the process of being captured. If you want to be angry at someone, be angry at them but not at me."

The Athanaraic turned his back on Liberty, leaving the dragon gaping at him. Liberty huffed and rested his head on his forelegs, deciding that the best thing to do was to ignore the other dragon. Giving the other dragon the satisfaction of knowing that he had managed to make a point was not something that Liberty was willing to do. It was just easier to be angry at Athanaraic than a bunch of faceless people in his mind. It was far easier to be angry at a dragon than to be angry at Steve for making the choice to crash the plane. It was far easier just to be angry than to be in mourning, angry he could do something.

"If you must, blame me. But remember, if it hadn't been for this war, you wouldn't have met your captain. Be thankful for that."

Liberty stood up, annoyed when the Athanaraic just smirked up at him. He had been well and truly beaten, but that didn't mean that Liberty didn't want to tear into the other dragon. Now wasn't the time, not with officers on deck and new recruits. He was pretty sure Peggy wouldn't try to defend him if he got in trouble, it would be his own fault. Liberty settled for baring his teeth, not daring to do anything else.

He had spent his life around other dragons and a good portion of them he hadn't liked for some reason or another. That was part of their basic training, to deal with the natural aggression that came with being territorial. They were allowed to be possessive of their equipment, the jewels that their captain would buy them and their crew, to a certain point, but not of specific territory. If anything, they were allowed to be possessive of the country as a whole, but with the implication that they had to share with the other dragons.

Liberty was perfectly capable of behaving like he didn't care, even if the Athanaraic seemed determined to get on his nerves.

* * *

"Miss? Ma'am!" Peggy sighed, turning around to glare at the man running after her. A quick glance at his uniform showed that he was not Air Force or SSR, which meant that this would not be pleasant. She could always just run. Peggy was sure that she was faster than the man behind her, especially with Liberty waiting to take her into the air. That would just make returning from their ordered run much more difficult and probably involving the man's superiors. Colonel Phillips was a year away from retirement and had given her specific orders to avoid doing anything that would make him have to delay it.

She turned to face the man, untucking her gloves from her belt and pulling them on. If she was going to be delayed, she might as well begin to do what prep for flight that she could. Peggy pulled one glove on, stretching and wiggling her fingers to loosen up the new leather. "Sergeant."

"Sergeant Jones, ma'am." He took off his hat, giving her an earnest smile. "I'm sorry to hold you up, but you can't go out there."

"And why not?"

"The dragons are out there." He took a deep breath. "Now, they aren't dangerous, but they are getting ready to be sent out. It would be better to just stay out of the way and out of danger. If you would please return to your house we'll find a way to get you out of the country as soon as we can."

Peggy sighed. Sergeant Jones meant well, she was sure he did, but she was getting tired of having to go through this every time she left the makeshift covert that the SSR dragons were stationed in. After six years as a de facto captain, she had adopted the style of dress that the Air Force usually used, which was whatever was practical and comfortable for flying. Peggy had ditched her usual suit and skirt for a pair of loose pants and a leather jacket; both would do a better job of keeping her warm while Liberty was flying. To the Sergeant, she probably looked like a woman dressed in her husband or sweetheart's clothes.

She reached up to adjust the scarf she wore around her neck, double checking the knot. When she was done, she smiled back at the sergeant. "Thank you for you concern, but I can handle myself. Return to your duties."

"You're British?"

"Yes I am."

"Well," the sergeant looked away, "I know that the British use different methods for controlling some breeds of dragon, but we don't have any Longwings here, just the usual breeds."

Peggy rubbed her forehead. "Sergeant Jones, I could care less about what you know about at the moment, especially since it does not apply to the situation. No, we do not have any Longwings, but that does not make me any less capable of captaining a dragon. The rumors you are referencing are just created by the British Aerial Corps to ease the mind of soldiers, not that it does any female captains any good. Now, you are keeping me from by dragon and my orders."

Sergeant Jones looked completely taken aback, but the made a great effort at rallying himself. Peggy just didn't have the patience or the time to listen to any more of his attempts to keep her here. She reached down to unhook one of her carabiners from where she had put it on her belt. Since coming to Korea, she hadn't dared to keep her personal harness off for more than short periods of time.

She turned away from the sergeant, relieved to see one of Liberty's crew waiting for her at the end of the street. He waved at her before cupping his hands around his mouth. "First Lieutenant Carter! He's ready to go!"

"I'll be there in a moment." Peggy started walking, freezing when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She reached without thinking, slapping Sergeant Jones' hand away and pulling his hand back. Peggy took in the determined look on the sergeant's face before shaking her head. "Get him up, I'll be there."

The crew member nodded and jogged out of sight. Peggy waited until he was out of sight. She had been trying to discourage her men from fighting over the past week, something that made her long for the discipline of the army. After lecturing them countless times, she was not going to let them see her be anything less than perfectly collected.

When she was sure that the crew member was gone, Peggy carefully released Sergeant Jones' hand. She gave him a glare before walking off, not surprised when he called for her again. Peggy sidestepped an attempt to grab her again, breaking into a jog. Usually she wouldn't hesitate to knock the man back for getting in her way, but he wasn't worth the few seconds it would take. She had her orders to take Liberty and the Athanaraic up to do a bombing run and then to take her two dragons off to search for something that had piqued the interest of the researchers at the SSR, something close by in China. There had been something about multiple sightings of a new breed of feral dragon guarding something strange, something that sounded like Hydra technology to her.

Of course, the mission to China was completely dependent on how things went over the next few days. If they didn't managed to get to the site, then securing Korea would allow some SSR team go and investigate.

She lifted an arm to shield her eyes as dirt was blown up, Liberty and Njord taking off. The Athanaraic banked to follow the rest of the American dragons, bright against the usual browns and greens that most of the American dragons were. Only the four Firecrackers that had been brought over were brighter. Peggy smiled at the sight of so many dragons, easily finding Liberty circling close by.

Peggy lifted her arm to wave, feeling the sergeant try to catch at her other arm. She shook him off roughly, watching as Liberty swooped low to the ground. A few of the crew were hanging off the side, ready to catch her up as Liberty went past. Peggy grinned, grabbing onto one of the crewman's arms while another latched an arm around her waist, a third clipping her loose carabiner into the nearest loop as Liberty took to the air.

Only when the jolt from the quick change of direction was over did Peggy untangle herself and start moving into position. The men moved out of her way, most of them double checking their guns and the supply of bombs they had to deliver over the position they were assigned. Peggy paused a couple of times along the way up Liberty's back, helping where she could but mostly supervising.

She reached her position with no hassle, Gabriel Jones helping her over a pile of stowed ammunition to her place just behind the captain's position. Peggy shouted her thanks to him, Gabriel smiling before going back to yelling to the newer members of the crew for their sloppy work. Peggy just shook her head and secured herself into place, unable to keep from glancing over at the bits of fabric they had tied around the metal loops where Steve's carabiners would have gone. They were just scraps of red and blue fabric, nothing huge like the monument that had been erected in Arlington for Captain America, but it was a better token of remembrance. This was where the memory of Steve belonged, felt the most right. On the back of his dragon surrounded by soldiers who were just doing their best to stop the bullies of the world.

Liberty turned his head, shouting over the sound of dragon wings. "What took you so long?"

"I was delayed. The army caught sight of me." Peggy rolled her eyes at the growl that Liberty gave. "They can't do anything, their superiors know better than most of them. But there will be a complaint and I will have to sit through another official explanation of what I do."

"I'm coming along this time."

"Of course you are. You're the best back up a lady could ask for." She leaned over to pat his shoulder. "Not that I don't trust the rest of you boys."

The last part was called back over her shoulder, Peggy smiling as the calls came back from the crew, all in support of her. There was no one on the dragon that would ever think to question her right to be there. Everyone who had was either put on another dragon or was stuck in the research division slaving under Stark.

"Tear them a new one, boss!"

That earned a laugh from Liberty, the crew crouching down as the dragon's body bucked a bit with the motion. The sound drew the attention of Njord, the Athanaraic coming in closer to talk with Liberty. Peggy expected to see the split second of annoyance that usually came with the approach of the German dragon, the one she had been seeing since Liberty had been brought into the SSR. But, judging by the cordial conversation the two were having, they had at least managed to come to some sort of agreement about how to behave. Peggy had seen stranger things pull people together. She was just glad that Liberty and Njord had managed to keep it together during a war.

Peggy rolled her eyes and sat down on Liberty's back, pulling out her map and gesturing for the Howling Commandos to come forward. They all had their instructions, although Njord and Liberty were the outliers on this mission. They weren't flying with a wing but they still had their stretch to bomb. Peggy traced a finger over their portion, listening to the Howling Commandos talk strategy and positioning. They would radio the final orders over to Njord's radio operator, a method that Peggy was glad to be using. She had heard the stories of how orders used to be relayed by flags and how many times orders were misinterpreted.

She folded up the map, securing it again before nodding at the Howling Commandos. "Alright boys, let's give them hell."

* * *

The joint retirement party and celebration of her new position had to take place on the deck. Liberty would have kicked up a fuss if he hadn't been able to be there and Peggy had a feeling that Njord would have sulked for days, which would have only encouraged the other two dragons. The top deck was the only place that would hold all of the crews and the people that worked for the SSR. With the entire deck of the ship flat except for the control tower, there was plenty of room for dragons, tables and people. Besides, after nearly five years of knowing Phillips, Peggy was able to see that he cared for the dragons, despite the fact he never called them anything but overgrown lizards in mixed company.

She navigated through the crowd, stepping over a dragon's tail while balancing her plate. She smiled and accepted congratulations as she moved through the crowd, coming to stand in the relative calm by Liberty's side. Peggy slumped against the dragon's side, finally getting to eat her cake. Liberty looked back at her, obviously amused. "Had enough mingling?"

"Until I'm done with this cake, yes." Peggy took another bite. "I have been eyeing this thing since they brought it out. Phillips must have had orders to keep me from it as long as possible."

"Sounds like the sort of thing he would do."

Peggy pulled her plate away from Liberty, glaring at the dragon as he eyed it. She was sure that Liberty wouldn't actually go for the cake; to her knowledge dragons were primarily carnivores. She wasn't even sure that Liberty could digest cake, although she wouldn't put it past him trying. Who knows what Steve had fed him while they were serving together.

She expected the short stab of pain that came with any thoughts of Steve, but it had gotten easier to bear over time. Peggy poked at the piece of cake with her fork, sighing and resting her head against Liberty's side. The dragon seemed to understand, leaning into her for a short moment. It was the best comfort they could offer each other, just an understanding that they were both missing someone. Strangely enough, it was all she needed and it was far better than the mix of sympathy and pity she got on the rare occasions she got a few days off to go and see her family.

Liberty had the good sense to wait until Peggy had finished her cake to bump her lightly, which was still enough to make her stumble forward a step. She reached back to slap his side, hearing the dragon laugh at her. Liberty prevented another retaliatory attack by resting his muzzle on her shoulder. "How does it feel, Director Carter?"

"I don't know. I'll tell you after I have the first disaster under control." She looked over at where Phillips was talking with a few of the Howling Commandos who had managed to make it over. "I think he's getting the better deal."

"His wife would agree with you."

"I heard she was threatening to come and retrieve him herself if something delayed him."

"I don't blame her. This kind of thing could eat up your entire life." Peggy quickly shut her mouth before she could say anything more. It was exactly the kind of distraction that she was looking for and Liberty knew it. There was a kind of freedom in being able to fly on a dragon whenever she wanted to. Plus, she had gotten where she had wanted to be, the head of a program that meant something to her.

Peggy snapped her fingers, reaching into her pocket and digging around. Liberty hovered close, watching her carefully as she pulled out a scrap of paper with a pin through it. She turned the paper so Liberty could see the two silver bars. The dragon narrowed his eyes, glancing between the paper and her. Peggy sighed and curled her fingers around the pin. "Look, I'm going to be busy over the next few years. This isn't me giving you up; God knows you wouldn't let me do that. This is my assurance that you will be taken seriously."

Liberty nodded slowly before raising his head, giving her a clear path to the bit of harness over his shoulder. Peggy glanced down at the pin, shaking her head. They would need to do something about this, convince someone to make a larger insignia pins, something that would be seen more clearly. Giving dragons the authority to speak for themselves was hardly new, it had happened before in times of need. Peggy didn't really want to have to wait until a crisis to grant that same authority to the dragons of the SSR. She was sure that the other dragons would refuse, they were all happy with their captains, but the option needed to be open for them.

She reached up and pinned the bars into place, patting Liberty's shoulder when she was done. "As of now, you are your own captain. No one can make you give that up."

"Thank you." Liberty turned to nose the bars, Peggy watching the tip of his tail flick happily.

It wasn't the best gift she could give him, but it was the only thing she could. If she was just a little less selfish, she would have encouraged Colonel Phillips to pass over her for the director's position and go on to someone else. The problem was that she had worked too hard to get this far, even if it gave up those every day flights with Liberty. She wasn't going to stay away from him completely, but the position would make it difficult to act as captain. Peggy was sure that Dugan wouldn't mind being promoted to First Lieutenant until he chose to retire, if that ever happened. Liberty would be in good hands.

Judging by the way Liberty was carefully rubbing the bars with his nose, he was enjoying them for the shine alone. Peggy couldn't think of anything that Steve had given him that would appeal to Liberty's hoarding nature, not for lack of trying. The Howling Commandos had been nearly constantly on the move during the war, stopping just long enough to resupply and get a full night's sleep. It wasn't long enough to get Liberty anything shiny, especially on Steve's pay check. She would have to make sure to continue giving him what she could. He had helped her get to this point; it was only fair that she returned the favor.

Liberty briefly abandoned his bars to nudge her back towards the party. "Go mingle and be friendly while you can. Tomorrow you have to start yelling at all of them."

"Don't remind me." She pushed his muzzle away, ignoring the way that he laughed at her. Peggy waved him away, walking back into the crowd. She would brave the crush, the well wishes and probably snag another piece of cake before the party was over. God only knew how much would be left by the time the newer recruits were let at it.

* * *

Liberty raised his head at the sound of a motor, rolling his eyes at the sight of the plane coming in. Of course Howard Stark would continue to use a plane instead of the dragon offered to him. Then again, since the failed mission during the Korean War, they were down a dragon. The Air Force had been too occupied with their breeding program, trying to get dragons that could fly faster, longer, to give them any more dragons. They had to recruit what they could from the breeding grounds, and there had yet to be a dragon interested.

Njord and Viatrix groaned and moved to the side, allowing the plane to land on the dragon transport. Both dragons hissed at the appearance at the plane, too well fed to do anything else. Liberty shook his head fondly and watched as the men scurried around on deck, vying for Stark's attention as he stepped out of the plane. Immediately he was swept away towards the control tower, Liberty watching as Stark went without a complaint. He thought he saw Peggy in the crowd, calming down when she waved him back. This was her first meeting with Stark since she had become Director, another thing to do on her newly busy schedule.

The group disappeared into the hull of the transport, Liberty huffing and letting his head drop again. He would get the news about the new technology that would they would be given soon enough, probably as some of Stark's assistants decked him out in it as Stark explained how he wanted it tested. In the meantime, Liberty was content to doze in the sun. Peggy had promised that they would go out flying after dinner, something that Liberty was looking forward to. Most of the Commandos were busy with their lives after Korea and all of them had families to take care of, so they were rarely around. The only one Liberty really had left was Peggy.

"Howard?" He lifted his head, starting at the woman that had stepped out of the airplane. She stared off in the direction that the crowd had gone before huffing and turning back to the plane. "Honestly, you mention a chance to make something explode to that man and he's off like a shot. It's a good thing you're nothing like that, right Tony?"

She hiked a small child onto her hip, staring down at him. The child twisted in her grip, looking eagerly around the deck. The woman patted the child on the head and got a tighter grip on him as she started toward the control tower. Their passing got the two other dragons to look up, interested in a new face on deck. Then, the woman and her son were in the tower, leaving the rest of them to their naps.

Liberty sighed and turned so he was lying more on his side. He would curl up again if Njord wanted to stretch out, but for now he would take advantage of the space on the deck.

He wasn't down for more than a minute before he heard a childish squeal and the sound of running feet. He lifted his head from the deck just in time to see the child run out from the control tower. Liberty rolled to his feet, walking the two steps to the control tower and becoming a physical block for the child. That didn't deter him, Liberty found himself staring down into serious brown eyes before the child was trying to clamber up his foreleg.

"Tony?" The child's mother ran out onto the deck, taking a relieved breath as she saw Tony with his arms and legs wrapped around Liberty's leg. She smiled and walked over to Liberty, reaching up and patting his leg. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Liberty lowered himself to the ground, gently dislodging Tony. "Viatrix gets angry when she gets woken up from her naps."

"As does Tony. May I?" She gestured at Liberty's side, Liberty nodding. She leaned against his side, watching Tony attempt to climb Liberty again. "Sorry, Howard prefers not to be bothered when he's in a lab. Not even by his wife and son tired from one of his trips around the world."

Liberty tipped his head to the side, trying to recall what news he had heard about Howard Stark. He kept up with what Howard was doing, but not as closely as the other Howling Commandos. Stark had always been on his periphery. He did remember that Peggy had asked for a couple of days off to go to Howard's wedding, but he had never asked about the bride. So this was Maria Stark, he only knew her name because Peggy had told him once during one of Stark's visits while Phillips was still director. He had known nothing about Tony.

He peered down at Tony, not surprised when Tony tried to use his head as a boost, still trying to climb over him. "Tony doesn't seem to be too disappointed about that."

"He doesn't know any better. This week has been one big adventure to him. And it's been revenge, I guess. Howard wanted me to leave Tony at home, but this has been the first time in _months_ that I've gotten to spend any time with my son. I've been doing the society rounds." Maria paused to reach up and pat Tony's head. "He's grown up without me."

"They tend to do that." Liberty gently pulled his muzzle away, watching Tony sit down on his foreleg. He didn't quite understand the maternal attachment to young, even female dragons didn't seem to have it beyond making sure their egg was safe with a human. He felt far more about his first captain than he had for his mother, who he was sure that he had never seen. He only knew about the few eggs he had sired because he had seen them for himself.

Liberty shook his head, watching Tony pat the red scales on his leg. "So how is Howard?"

"Happy." Maria was slow to answer, but she smiled when she did. "If you listened to my complaining, it sounds like he isn't, but he is. He's getting to work on all the new inventions that he could possibly want, all while being funded by the military. Then he's got you guys, who pay him to basically play." She paused, pushing away from his side. "He still looks for Steve you know."

"He what?"

Maria nodded. "Every year he goes out to the arctic and looks. He has expeditions out there nearly all the time, but he goes out personally once a year. He's due to go out soon. Howard hasn't given up on your captain."

"I…Tell him thanks."

"I will." Maria turned away, her focus immediately on Tony as the boy got bored and tried to run around Liberty. "Tony, no. Get back here."

Liberty flipped his tail into Tony's path, caging the boy in again. That got him a very persuasive pout before Tony plopped down on the deck and glared at the tail like it had personally offended him. Liberty laughed, unfolding one wing to let Tony play with the end of it.

"You have enough of a handful here."

"He can be. The nanny we have is worth her weight in gold." Maria pushed her bangs out of her face, standing up abruptly.

Liberty followed her gaze to where Howard and the others were coming out. It had been a surprisingly quick meeting, although they had probably done nothing but renew contracts or talk about the things Peggy wanted to see for the SSR in the future. The longer meetings would be following, when Howard was fitting for individual dragons. Howard must have been eager to get moving on his exploration to find Steve, although it seemed strange that Howard was leaving so soon after coming back from a round of meetings.

Maria gave his shoulder a final pat before collecting Tony and following her husband. Liberty lifted his head to watch them, keeping a careful eye on the plane as it took off. He had never been able to trust the things; a plane was just a piece of machinery after all. Only when the plane was flying away with no hint of anything going wrong did Liberty turn his head to look down at where Peggy was standing by him. "Did you know?"

"Howard told me, yes."

"And?"

Peggy sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I didn't know how to tell you. Howard is looking for Steve as…the Steve we knew. I, unfortunately, do not have his optimism. I didn't tell you because I was afraid that you would think the same."

Liberty closed his eyes but nodded. "The best I hope for is a corpse. That's all I want Peggy. My first captain had a grave that I visited for years. It was…somewhat helpful."

"You have me there." Peggy patted his side. "We'll just have to muddle through until that point then." She gave him a final pat before stepping away. "I'll see you after dinner to go flying. Until then, I have meetings."

He opened one eye, smiling at her. "Have fun."

Peggy made a rude gesture at him before disappearing back into the transport. Liberty chuckled to himself, moving back to his patch of sunlight and stretching out for a nap. If he was asleep, then he wouldn't be turning over what he really expected when Howard finally found Steve again.

* * *

Liberty hated this war.

He didn't like wars in general; he was old enough to no longer get as excited about them, especially since people he cared about tended to die. Usually he was given something back in return, something so small that he had to think back hard about it. This war didn't seem to be giving him anything, only taking.

They had lost Jim Morita the first year of the war, when they had been attacked by guerillas. He had been helping the others back onto Liberty's back when he had been shot. Liberty had just enough time to scoop up Jim's body before taking to the air. He hadn't even been able to go to the funeral. He had been kept over in Vietnam to continue to lend air support. Even with Peggy trying to pull strings with all her contacts hadn't brought him anything but a stern lecture by the general in charge of the dragons. He was a soldier like the rest of them; he had to do as he was told. It was a war and people died, he had to get over that. Like Liberty could have ever forgotten that.

Then, a day ago, he had gotten hit by a shell. He had had to fly the rest of the day before there was even a chance for the surgeon back at the covert to dig the thing out. The surgeon had packed the wound full of bandages and proclaimed him ready for duty. There was one crewman on watch to make sure that the stitches didn't rip open and there was more bandages in the belly netting in case they needed to wrap him up again. He was under orders not to go back unless there was no other choice. Liberty wanted to send something back to Peggy, begging her to get them out of this war, because there was nothing here for the SSR and there was nothing happening but their men getting killed.

Liberty flinched as he twisted to avoid another shell, feeling another few stitches pop out. They would have to change his bandages soon from what Liberty could see when he turned his head. He couldn't trust his sense of smell at the moment anyway. There were too many dragons bleeding and the smell of fire from the forest below. Liberty could only hope that they called the dragons away before they dropped the chemicals. Liberty had seen what some of those chemicals had done to dragons before they had brought in the planes. Liberty avoided that part of the covert, he couldn't stand the screaming.

He heard the men shouting for the next round, Dugan straining forward to shout orders to him. Liberty had to turn his head to properly hear them over the sounds of the other dragons and the gun fire. It had been hard to hear orders over the weapons used in the wars that had lost him his captains, now it was getting close to impossible, not without completely turning his attention to either flying or the orders that he was given. It was another thing that he would have to talk to Stark about a solution. It was getting too dangerous to fly.

He could hear enough from Dugan that he was expected to make another pass over the trees with the other Firecrackers. Liberty glanced down just in time to hear one of the Firecrackers squawk and crumple as it was hit. Liberty didn't bother to track where the dragon fell, another dragon would go down to pick up the crew or they would be left to hack their way back to base. Liberty swallowed, giving a nod of his head, enough of a warning to his crew to hang on tight before he dove. The run had to be quick or else he would end up with another shell in him.

Liberty sucked in a deep breath before breathing out his fire. It took only a few well placed fire balls to set stands of trees ablaze. The sparks that trickled out of his mouth after the last fireball would ensure that a few other places would at least be smoking; another distraction for whatever it was needed for. He flapped his wings to gain altitude again, wincing when the Firecracker beside him went down. A quick glance to the side showed that it was flapping frantically with one wing while the other hung down in shreds and broken bones. Liberty hissed and ducked his head, trying to look out for anything coming his way.

Feeling strangely vulnerable after watching two other dragons go down, Liberty drifted over closer to Njord, the Athanaraic barely glancing at him. Njord was too busy holding himself steady as his crew dropped bombs onto the forest below. The fact that the Athanaraic was steady was the cause of most of Liberty's worry. The Air Force might get it into their heads that Njord would be the perfect dragon to cart the chemicals in. They had nearly lost Fergal that way when the orders had come in. At least Peggy had been able to do something about that.

"For a second, I thought that was you." Njord didn't look over at him, too focused on flying. "I thought you were getting slow in your old age."

"I'm still faster than you."

"Keep telling yourself that, if it makes you feel better."

"Oh, it does. It's just another thing in a long list." Liberty turned his head to grin at Njord, not quite used to the teasing banter that they were throwing back and forth. There were still times that he looked at that Athanaraic and still thought the other dragon was his enemy. The more confusing moments were when he looked over at Njord and thought that the other dragon was something close to a friend. The best way to deal with the confusion was just to ignore it, and it had worked well so far.

Another shout from Dugan had Liberty turning his attention from Njord. He was just starting to piece out the order before the rest of what Dugan was saying was obscured by the sound of another shell being fired nearby. Liberty squawked and dodged to the side, hearing a few of the men on his back shout in surprise. He went to right himself, only to hear a roar from beside him and to get slapped by one of Njord's wings.

He righted himself, shaking his head to clear the ringing out of it. He was too close to the tree line, his talons clipping the tops. Liberty grunted and flapped his wings to clear the trees, turning his head to look at his crew. "Alright?"

Dugan was nodding, but one of the newer crew members was staring back behind them. Liberty snorted and turned his head to look behind him. There was a huge gap in the trees, Liberty able to see one wing sticking up through the gap. A quick glance ahead showed that Njord was not with the rest of the wing and no dragon was going back. Liberty snarled and turned around, ignoring Dugan's call to keep flying. He wasn't just going to leave Njord and his entire crew behind.

Liberty thumped down, not wasting time on a graceful landing. He took one look at the downed dragon before stepping over Njord, lowering himself down so he could protect the entire dragon with his body and wings. Liberty hissed, hoping that any soldiers in the forest would decide to stay away. Until Njord's crew was switched over, the humans were vulnerable. Njord could take care of himself until then. Liberty looked down, watching as the men unclipped from Njord and clambered onto his harness, some of them having to double up.

When they were all settled Liberty stepped away from Njord, craning his neck to see over the trees. He could see the rest of their wing continuing their run, but it was very possible that they could catch up. Liberty huffed and stepped away from Njord. "Come on, we're being left behind."

That made Njord raise his head, Liberty snorting and taking a step back at the scent of blood. He tipped his head to the side. He hadn't noticed the blood because of Njord's coloring. It was the bone that he saw first, stark white against the red scales. Liberty whimpered, edging closer despite the shouts of the men on his back. He nudged Njord's neck, far from where the shell had hit him. There was a small response, Njord rolling his head so he could look at Liberty. The two stared at each other for a moment before Njord gave a short jerk of his muzzle towards the sky.

It was an order; there was no doubt about that. With more than a full crew of men aboard Liberty couldn't help Njord back into the air. It would probably take two dragons to do that, and none of them were turning around. None of them had even seemed to notice. Liberty snarled, he was old enough to know that they wouldn't even be able to retrieve Njord's body. His bones would just rest here, and no one would remember him the way he should have. Njord wasn't quite a friend, but he didn't deserve this.

"Fine." His agreement gone a happy noise from Njord, Liberty not even sure that it was proper noise at all. Liberty rocked back onto his haunches, giving Njord one last look before launching himself into the air. He felt the stitches on his haunches rip with the move, but he didn't care. He only vaguely felt the men scrambling around on his back, trying to hold him together long enough to get back to the covert. Let them try. He was going to hang on just to spite everyone.

Liberty turned in the air, circling around where Njord was lying. The thought of leaving the other dragon alone made his stomach roll. They may not be able to retrieve Njord, but he would make sure that any of the natives wouldn't be able to do anything to do with the dragon's body. It was against orders, but Liberty no longer cared. He sucked in a deep breath and spat fire, aiming for the clearing around where Njord was laying. Now no one would be able to get to the dead dragon, and that was enough for Liberty.

He snorted and headed back for the wing, finally giving in and turning his attention to Dugan. When he turned his head, Dugan slapped his shoulder. "Listen to me for once. Just because you're a captain-"

"It wasn't that."

"You couldn't leave him." Dugan cursed, Liberty not quite catching the full explicative. "Just like Steve. He was your captain, but you don't have to act like him. Not when we don't have the SSR here to back us up."

"Peggy will help."

"Director Carter doesn't have the pull that Director Phillips had."

"I don't care." Liberty snorted and turned his full attention to flying. He was too angry to deal with Dugan or any of his crew at the moment. It wasn't completely their fault; it was just another bad thing about this war. Still, Liberty didn't want to have to explain himself to them, not while he was angry. It would just be him and Dugan yelling at each other, which wouldn't be good for morale. The war was messing with his crew and Liberty didn't like it.

As an apology, Liberty held his place in the formation as they flew back to the covert, annoyed that none of the dragons looked back to check on the others in the wing. Back in the other wars, the dragons in a wing always looked out for each other. The dragons in the wings today were too desensitized to one of their number never coming back. They had been out for too long to care about anything other than themselves and their crew. It was why Liberty preferred staying close to the SSR dragons, because they cared.

He circled the covert until he was given the signal to land. Liberty carefully glided in, landing awkwardly to allow the men who had been stuck to the lowest parts of the harness to jump off before he settled completely. Even then the rest of his and Njord's crew couldn't dismount, he had to walk away to leave room for the other dragons that were landing, joining in the line of limping dragons. Unless they couldn't move from where they landed, the dragons were expected to walk back to their assigned spots for medical care. Apparently it was the easiest way to deal with them.

Liberty hunkered down in his spot, the superfluous members of both his and Njord's crew quickly unclipping and scrambling away; leaving those that could tend to the wound over his leg still on. The five men would have to sit there and hold the bandage until a surgeon came to see him to sew the wound up again. He huffed and lowered his head, staring out into the covert. None of the dragons would even get the chance to have their harnesses removed. They could be called into action at any minute, which meant that captains and crew had taken to sleeping near their dragons, just to make it easier on themselves.

Around him, the sound of his crew talking in low voices quickly quieted down, Liberty lifting his head to see what had gotten their attention. He growled as he saw the man in charge of the covert walking towards them. The man wasn't a part of the military and he made no effort to understand any of the actions going on. To him, it was just another job and he was there to take care of the dragons. Of course, the way he treated the dragons was like they were nothing more than another car or another plane, stupid creatures that couldn't think on their own. That was why he never allowed dragons to listen in on the meetings that were called among the captains, despite there being three dragons who had been given the rank of captain themselves. Liberty was forced to get the news from Dugan.

The man barely glanced at him but turned his attention directly to Dugan, Liberty resisting the urge to curl his wing around his first lieutenant. "I should thank you for bringing back the crew of that dragon of yours, but you risked too much by making Sentinel of Liberty haul them back. We need all the firebreathers we can get. And, because he can't actually hide with his coloration, that's the only use we'll get out of your spoiled beast."

That got Dugan to tense, the rest of the crew silently gathering behind him. Dugan calmly accepted his bowler hat from one of the men, dusting it off before settling it onto his head. "I don't see where you get the authority to tell me this. We're with the SSR."

"I am the one keeping this covert in order and I can order your dragon to be kept apart from the rest." The man crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the two bars pinned on the shoulder strap of Liberty's harness. "I can request that those be taken away and a real captain be put up onto your dragon's back instead of a sloppy lieutenant."

Liberty was sure that Dugan had a good retort but he couldn't stand to be silent. He roared and stood up, taking a step so he was standing over his crew. The man stumbled back a step, Liberty forcing him to back up further as he stretched out his neck. "Try it. See how far your argument gets against a decorated war hero."

"Your captain was the war hero, not you."

Liberty snapped at the man, sending him scurrying off. It wouldn't be enough to keep him away; he would be back soon enough, after he had finished tormenting the other dragons without captains. Liberty sighed and took a step away from his crew, settling back on the ground. The crew milled around for a moment before the calls of the five men on his back drew their attention away. Liberty watched them long enough to see that they were taking apart his harness in certain places to allow better access to the gash along his haunches before settling his head down in the mud.

Dugan huffed, adjusting the bowler hat on his head before reaching out to pat Liberty's side. "Ignore him. He doesn't know anything about what we did. He probably just thinks we were the people who carried Captain America's things. Like Steve would have been able to do all of that without us."

Liberty just huffed, digging his claws into the dirt. Dugan was just trying to help, but he didn't want to think about Steve, not when everything was going so wrong. Dugan would try to comfort him but he wouldn't actually climb up onto his forelegs and sit there all night. Dragons were still a bit of a mystery to Dugan, something that was too strangely close to humans without actually being human. Liberty lifted a wing, settling it on the pile of armor that they had brought but never put on. The crew gathered under it, accepting the shelter for the rain that was sure to be coming. It was the only comfort that he could offer them.

Dugan smiled and walked under the shelter, leaving Liberty by himself. He glanced back at his crew before turning his attention back to the covert. The other dragons that had flown out with him would be exhausted and would probably sleep until food was herded in for them. Without Njord, he had no one to talk to with Fergal back in the United States and Viatrix away, probably on a courier mission. Liberty sighed, closing his eyes. There was nothing to do but sleep until food came or they were called back into battle. He grunted and shifted to find a more comfortable spot in the mud.

He really hated this war.

* * *

Liberty heard Viatrix shift, opening one eye to look at the Grey Widowmaker. She was tucked up against his side, hiding under his wing. Viatrix had gotten back from the front late in the night and had crawled to his side instead of remaining in her assigned place. Liberty assumed that she preferred to stay warm instead of sleeping in the cold. From the gossip he heard around the covert, the courier breeds weren't allowed to sleep in their accustomed pile for the sake of speed of getting to them. He didn't mind, he was looking forward to the man in charge of the covert being snapped at. Everyone knew that Grey Widowmakers had the worse temper.

Viatrix sniffed and writhed to find a new position. Liberty shook his head and nudged her closer, she needed the rest. He tucked his wing more securely around her, ready to fall back asleep himself when he heard loud voices. Liberty turned his head, craning his neck to see who was coming towards them. He lowered his head as the shouting came closer, watching as the other dragons lifted their heads to peer at the humans that were arguing.

"I don't care who you are, you can't be here. Unless you're a captain of one of these dragons, and I know for a fact that you aren't."

"Really? Then you haven't been paying much attention to world events."

Liberty twitched at the sound of the familiar voice. He would recognize that voice anywhere. Liberty carefully stood up, ignoring the annoyed hiss from Viatrix. He could see Peggy and the man walking towards them and that was more important than the ire of a dragon smaller than him. Liberty was sure that Viatrix would brighten up when she realized that Peggy was coming. He lowered his head, giving her a nudge. "It's Peggy."

Viatrix stared at him for a while before she really woke up. She trilled and flapped her way onto his back, using the added height to peer in the direction of the voices. Liberty growled at her, not surprised when Viatrix just flipped a wingtip in his direction. "Quiet."

He obeyed, keeping still as he listened for the continuation of the argument.

"I would know, I know everything about these dragons. You are not on the list of any captains, and the current captains are all that I care about."

"You should care about who I am now, considering you had four of our dragons on loan. One has already had to be removed because of his injuries and another has died."

"It's war."

"I know that, I've served in enough of them. But just this morning I got the report that one of our dragons had been injured. Ordinarily, I would just let it slide, but I learned that you were still making him run missions on an injury that should have had him laid up."

"We need every dragon we can get, especially those that can breathe fire. There's no time for too much rest, just enough for them to recover."

"Yes, that's just the way to keep them in fighting shape. And I guess that you never thought about what would happen back home when it was announced that Sentinel of Liberty, Captain America's dragon, was killed in action."

There was a short moment of silence. "He would be hailed as a hero."

"You can't believe that I would just let that slide. I would tell the public the whole story. After all, I was Liberty's captain for a few years. And you know that captains have an attachment to their dragons, no matter what the circumstances. Hence, why I am removing my dragons from your care."

"You can't do that." The two of them rounded the corner, Liberty noticing how Peggy glanced over at him quickly before turning her attention back to the man. The man didn't seem to notice, just pointing over at him. "They are an important part of the war effort."

"And they will continue to be, just in an area more suited to their strengths."

The man threw his hands in the air, Liberty hoping that it meant that he would back off. He was looking forward to getting to go home and not spend his days miserable in the mud. His injury still hurt and it wasn't healing, the skin around it puffy. He had heard his crew worrying about infection, but nothing had been done because there were always more missions to fly.

Liberty was disappointed when the man didn't go away; he just turned and pointed at Peggy. "What you are doing is spoiling him. First you make him a captain and now you want to take him away. He's a weapon, you don't coddle a gun."

"Guns don't breathe or think. Liberty does." Peggy turned her back on the man, holding out a sheet of paper to him. "But this is an order. Now, go call their crews and tell them that we will be leaving."

The man hesitated, Liberty ready to snarl at him. He knew that Peggy could handle herself, but he was of the opinion that some people needed some encouragement. Thankfully the man just made a disgusted face and stormed away. Liberty nodded, glad that they had been left alone. Viatrix didn't show the same decorum.

She fluttered down and snuggled close to Peggy, looking content for the first time in a long while. Liberty pushed back his jealousy and lowered his head. All of the dragons of the SSR liked Peggy; she treated them like they were members of the group instead of just weapons. She always made sure to come down and talk to them after major meetings when they couldn't fit into the meeting room.

Peggy just laughed and petting Viatrix's muzzle. "It's good to see you too. Will you be up for a flight back?"

Viatrix nodded and walked off, probably back to her assigned spot to gather her crew. Liberty watched her go, waiting until she was out of sight before lowering his head to look at Peggy. She smiled at him, stroking him under his eye. "You alright?"

"I should be." Liberty lifted his head out of the way as Peggy circled around him. She was going to check on his injury, Liberty shifting so the gash would be too high up for her to touch. He didn't mind that she was worried about it, but it hurt when anyone touched it. The gash had been prodded enough times in his opinion, at least until they got back to the United States. "I can fly a whole crew back if you need me to."

"I'm sure you can." Peggy circled back around, her hands on her hips. Usually, Liberty would have backed off because it was a sign that Peggy was mad. She drummed her fingers against her hips before sighing. "But you won't be flying any missions for a while. Fergal and Viatrix can handle covert missions." Peggy sighed and rubbed her forehead. "It will be hard without a fourth dragon, but we'll make it."

Liberty nodded in agreement, relieved that they wouldn't be replacing Njord soon. It wouldn't be the same without the Athanaraic. He cleared his throat, wanting to move away from the subject of the dragons that they had lost. "How are things at home?"

"We're surviving. There are a few things that have come to our attention, nothing big, just small strange things happening. Mostly the government wants us spying since we'll have the dragons to do it and the experience. Apparently tracking down secret organizations that they pretend not to know about is experience." She shrugged, staring at the ground. "There's been no word on the Stark front, not for his searches in the arctic anyway."

Liberty just accepted the news, not quite sure how to react. He wasn't disappointed; it was hard to be when he wasn't expecting anything to come out of it. But he had hoped that Howard would have found something by now. After all, Stark had the best technology in the United States, he should have been able to find something. He sighed and glanced over at Peggy. She kept her face blank; Liberty tempted to ask if she was alright. But he would only get a deflective answer, the same kind that he would give.

Instead, Liberty just nudged her shoulder, Peggy leaning into him. She reached up and patted the side of his face. Liberty crooned, glad that she smiled at him. "I'm glad that I'm going home."

"I'm glad too. This is no place for the two of you."

"It's no place for any of us." Liberty pulled his head away from her, looking over the covert at the miserable dragons. The men were equally as miserable, both the crewmen and the men in the army. Liberty had heard the men muttering while out on missions, no one wanted to be there anymore. And, if what he heard from the soldiers who had come back from leave was true, the people back home weren't happy either.

He shook his head, easing himself down evenly. He could hear his crew coming and he was eager to get out of the covert. Liberty glanced over at Peggy, tipping his head to the side. "You riding with me?"

"Of course." Peggy stepped over to the pile of armor, sorting through it until she came up with an extra harness. She strapped it on, moving quickly through long practice. Peggy adjusted the harness before climbing up onto Liberty's foreleg. She swung easily up onto Liberty's back, clipping in as the crew came in. A few of the crewmembers stopped in shock, the older ones saluting Peggy before climbing aboard.

Dugan slid easily back into his old place, Liberty standing up as the members of the ground crew started loading their things into his belly netting. He wouldn't be able to fly all the way back in one night, but there were plenty of islands along the way where they could stop off at. It was far better than landing on one of the dragon transports or the aircraft carriers that were starting to show up as the number of useful dragons began to drop. Liberty was hoping that they would replace dragons with planes in Vietnam, just so that he wouldn't have to risk being sent back. Although he doubted that Peggy would just let him go back.

The last piece of luggage was secured, Liberty crouching down again so his ground crew could clamber aboard. He watched as they clipped into place, trying to gauge the weight of the luggage. With all of the men's bags and his own armor, he was going to be heavier than usual. Liberty arched his neck, sneaking a peek at the way it was packed before rocking back onto his haunches.

Jumping from the ground hurt, the weight forcing him to put much more effort into his initial leap. The motion pulled at his wound, making Liberty wince as he climbed into the air. Thankfully, the ache disappeared as soon as he was flying. He glanced around, spotting Viatrix making her way towards him, the little grey dragon almost blending in with the clouds. Liberty banked to head towards the ocean and towards home, Viatrix falling in by his side.

* * *

Liberty stretched out further as the dragon who had been sprawled next to him took off, probably called back to work. That still left him surrounded by dragons, all of them dozing in the sun in Central Park. Liberty resisted the urge to look around, not knowing how they would take to his presence. No one had said anything when he had landed awkwardly earlier with Peggy on board, but Liberty doubted that they were all happy with him.

It had been strange coming home. The first few times there had been a fanfare, from World War I because anyone returning home was a good thing. The second time, he had been Captain America's dragon, as beloved by America as his captain was. After Korea, they were just happy to see that Liberty was still fighting for America, just like his captain had. On his return from Vietnam there had been silence, or at least Peggy enforced silence. That hadn't stopped Liberty from listening to what others had to say.

Many people were against the war, to the point where there were protests of it. Liberty was inclined to agree with those protesting, he hadn't seen the point to it. But what made him shiver was the way that those people spoke about the soldiers who came back. The soldiers who came back weren't war heroes anymore, Liberty didn't think that they were considered anything. He was sure that he was included in that, especially by the way that some of the people had glanced at him the few times he had been out and about. The only thing that he could do was ignore it all and continue to heal.

Liberty lifted his head to check on where Peggy was, glad that she was taking a break as well. He was sure that she would be meeting with contacts while he relaxed, but at least she wasn't stuck behind a desk. At least she wouldn't be pestered by agents with their small problems that could have been solved by themselves.

He carefully stretched out his leg before curling it back again. His wound was getting better since they had gotten him through the infection, he just had to heal up properly now. According to all reports, in about a month he should be ready to fly missions, which would mean that Fergal and Viatrix would have time to rest since they had taken up his slack.

Liberty sighed, tipping slightly to the side to get more sun on his back. This early in the afternoon there were hardly any dragons around, at least ones about the same size as him. Only courier and lightweights were sprawled over the grass and rocks, which meant that Liberty could stretch out as much as he wanted and could claim a spot where he could easily keep Peggy in his line of vision.

The sunlight was just lulling him to sleep when he heard the sound of someone running towards him. Liberty opened one eye, amused to see a small child rushing over, ignoring calls from his mother. He opened both of his eyes, the child stopping a good distance from him. Liberty watched the child shift from foot to foot before looking back at his mother.

The child's mother jogged over to him, holding her son's shoulders. "Sorry to bother you. My son just thought that you were someone else. There has to be a lot of dragons of your species around."

Liberty chuckled, keeping his head low so he didn't frighten them away. "I don't mind. Who did he think I was?"

The mother opened her mouth to speak, but her son interrupted. "Sentinel of Liberty."

"I'm sorry. Phillip has always enjoyed the Captain America comics and movies. He always thinks that every Firecracker is the Sentinel of Liberty." She smoothed a hand over her son's head. "I've tried to tell him otherwise but he just gets excited."

"There's nothing wrong with that." Liberty felt his tail twitch, stopping the motion quickly. There were a few lightweights that wouldn't appreciate being woken up from their nap. "But he's right this time."

He shifted just enough so they could see the bars on his shoulder and the plate that was attached to his harness. Phillip stepped closer, standing on his tiptoes to read the plate. The boy glanced between the plate and Liberty's face before he ducked his head. Phillip mumbled something too quietly for Liberty to hear. Liberty scooted a bit closer, only to have Phillip scoot around behind his mother.

She chuckled, bending down to kiss the top of his head before giving him a little shove forward. Phillip shuffled forward, staring at his feet. "I just wanted to say hello."

"Hello Phillip."

"And I…I wanted to know why you aren't in Vietnam?"

Liberty stared at Phillip for a moment before standing up. To his surprise, Phillip didn't back away, although his mother did. He turned around and resettled himself, titling his haunches so that Phillip could see the gash on his haunch. The boy gasped, placing his hands on Liberty's scales and straining upward. He seemed to realize what he had done and jerked his hands away. Phillip wiped them on his pants. "You got hurt."

"Yes, but I'll be back in action soon."

That made Phillip brighten up. "Good."

For a moment, it looked like Phillip was going to run back to his mother. Then, completely to Liberty's surprise, Phillip turned around and hugged his muzzle. Liberty went still, allowing the boy to clutch him close for a moment. As quickly as he had grabbed on, Phillip let go and took a step away. "Thank you."

And then he was running back to his mother, grabbing onto her hand and pulling her away. Liberty watched them go, shaking his head. They were gone far too soon for Liberty to ask what the thanks were for, but the gratitude was welcome.

He looked down as he felt someone touch his shoulder, Peggy standing by his side with a confused look on her face. "What was that about?"

"A boy just thanked me."

Peggy titled her head, a smile on her face. "You never got to go out among the people much. I'm sorry. They love you as much as they love him."

"It's fine." Liberty lifted his head enough to see the boy and his mother as they walked through the park.

It was alright, just that little bit of knowledge was enough for him. He was still unsettled by Vietnam and the way the public was reacting to it, but it was heartening that people still remembered what he was proud of. That there were still people who believe in what he and Steve had been trying to do. People who still remembered Steve.

He looked down at Peggy, watching as her smile turned into a rueful expression. Liberty sighed and hunkered down, offering her his foreleg. "Time to go back?"

"I'm afraid so. Sorry to cut this so short." Liberty snorted and flicked a wing in dismissal. Peggy gave his leg a pat before climbing up onto his back and clipping in.

* * *

Liberty banked, circling around the dragon transport, watching as Fergal landed. The smaller dragon had just returned from his own missions, which meant that Fergal would get a few weeks off training the new recruits. Viatrix was already out, which means it was his turn. Usually he would be excited, running missions was far better than helping train new recruits or being used in whatever Captain America propaganda that they wanted him for.

The flags from the signal man caught his attention, Liberty coming down to land on the deck. His claws skidded on the steel, Liberty quickly stepping off of the textured steel strip that was used as the landing strip and onto the padded section that was used for the dragons. There would be a short break while his crew was gathered and the flight plans worked out. He would get to look at the maps later.

He hunkered down on the ground, watching as the man who was his first lieutenant rushed off. Dugan had retired after Vietnam, the last of the original Howling Commandos to do so. Liberty kept up with the rest of the Commandos the best he could, but most of them had settled down to a sedate life with a family. Dugan was the only one who consistently returned to the SSR, training up the rawest of recruits before they were even put near the dragons. Still, which his mission schedule and the training, Liberty rarely got to see Dugan. His replacement wasn't too bad, just someone that wasn't completely used to working on a larger dragon. Liberty expected the man to train up a replacement and move back to either Fergal or Viatrix and Liberty had no hard feelings. He was just looking forward to picking out his first lieutenant for himself.

Liberty glanced over at the captain's bars on his shoulder, giving them a quick rub with his nose. He would polish them up when they landed for the mission, he would have plenty of time in the covert while the agents got themselves set up. Liberty flicked his tail, looking up at the sound of people gathering. Of course the new recruits would start gathering in the hopes that they would be chosen to make up part of the crew. And none of them wanted to make a move, either too intimidated by being near a dragon or because of whose dragon he was.

He sighed and looked up toward the control tower. He hoped his first lieutenant would come back soon; he didn't want to have to deal with the stares for too long. All of the recruits were not going to move unless they were called back to their duties. Liberty shook his head and reached back to nudge certain parts of his harness into place. They had gotten twisted and tangled in the quick flight over, the recruits back at the covert having messed up his harnessing. It was easy enough to fix now, but it was still annoying. His first lieutenant had been in too much of a rush to fix it, apparently the mission was more important.

There was a rustle a movement through the crowd, Liberty turning his head back to see one of the recruits pushing forward. He stared at the man for a moment, surprised when the man shook his head and walked over to Liberty, tapping bits of the harness before sighing. "Shift."

Liberty blinked in surprise by obeyed the order, rolling over so the man could reach the twisted straps. He set to work, setting the straps right. Liberty even leaned further over to allow the man to clamber up onto his back, ignoring the gasps from the other recruits. He was too busy trying not to laugh at the running commentary from the man on his back.

"Can't believe they allowed this to fly. These straps shouldn't even reach each other. It's obvious they don't sit right. Hope they get a good talking to." The last was directed at him with a final tug to the last twisted strap. "You tell them that back at the covert."

Liberty nodded, the man sliding down from his back as the first lieutenant showed up. The recruits snapped off a salute, the first lieutenant looking at the harness and smiling. "Well Agent Fury, it seems like you're the only one here who can get work done."

"The harness was twisted; no dragon should fly like that."

"You are right. It compromises the safety of the dragon and the crew." The first lieutenant glanced at the papers in his hand before looking at his watch. "You go get your gear; you're coming with us."

Agent Fury saluted before jogging off, Liberty watching him go with a smirk. The other recruits would be more forthcoming now that they had been shown that taking initiative had its rewards. The other members of his crew would be filled out later and Liberty was willing to bet that the recruits would stew over not being picked first. From what he could tell, there seemed to be a competition for spots on his crew.

Liberty turned his head to look at the first lieutenant, the man already spreading out the map to go over the mission. It would be up to Liberty to figure out the best flight plan, especially knowing the positions of the dragon transports where they could land for the night. Liberty sighed and lowered his head so he could see the map better. It was enough to make him wish that he was one of those new breeds that were coming out, all of them crossbred with Longwings and dragons known for their abilities to fly or glide long distances without getting tired. Those crossbreeds were able to fly across the Atlantic without a problem while Liberty was still stuck hopping from transport to transport.

"Director Carter was thinking about assigning you a permanent crew."

Liberty stared at his first lieutenant, tipping his head to the side. "Really?"

"Apparently there are a few more dragons who want to get themselves out of retirement for a few years that can handle these training missions. They want you, Fergal and Viatrix ready to go out for the important things."

Liberty hummed, thinking over the news as he traced one flight path, counting the number of transports that would be waiting for them. If he hugged the east coast of America before heading out over the ocean, it would be an easier flight, taking the shortest route. The number of transports would be lower, but it would be easy enough. He was still in top condition. Liberty pulled his head back. "I suppose I'll have to talk to Director Carter when I get back. Watch the recruits on this one; I might want some of them." Liberty was about to point out the route to take when he paused, lowering his head so he could get as close to a private conversation with his first lieutenant that he could. "Definitely put Agent Fury on the list."

The first lieutenant nodded. "Everything I've seen from him says that he's competent. I might be able to retire early after all."

Liberty snorted, earning a laugh from the first lieutenant. With the question of his permanent crew settled, it was time to focus on their mission. Liberty carefully pressed the tip of one of his talons against the map, explaining the path they would take as the first lieutenant looked on.

* * *

Viatrix whipped by the transport again, twisting and turning as she tried her best to shake the equipment attached to her harness off. Liberty watched her go, ignoring the few retired dragons who were volunteering their time to the SSR cheering her on. From what he could see, the radio and the lightweight armor weren't going to come off, nor did it look like it was impeding her flight. Then again, Liberty had expected nothing less from Stark technologies.

He lowered his head, turning his attention to the table that Stark had set up on the deck, watching as the captains and other officers leaned over. It was a demonstration of all the latest weapons that the SSR had bought from Stark Industries and, from what he could hear from the crowd, it was impressive. Liberty would make his judgment later, when he could see Peggy's face. She was the better judge of the human weapons, just as she would trust him when Stark finally decided to try something out on him. Although, Viatrix was doing a good job of stress testing.

Liberty smiled as he saw Tony walk away from the weapons demonstration. There was no room for a six year old in the crowd and no one was really paying attention to him. Liberty huffed, shooting a glance at Stark before reaching over and gently picking up Tony by the back of his shirt. It was a testament to how much time that Tony had spent around dragons that the child didn't scream, he just went still and waited until he had been set on the ground.

The move got a grin from Tony, Liberty gently bumping his nose against the child. He still didn't know why Stark brought his kid to these things, although it didn't happen often. Howard paid no attention to Tony once the weapons were out or the dragons were flying. It wouldn't take much for Tony to fall off the transport, then again there was always a dragon watching. Liberty supposed that Tony just begged to be taken on these trips; the boy seemed to enjoy talking with the dragons, although it was always about some improvement to the harnesses.

Tony patted Liberty's muzzle before clambering up onto his foreleg, settling in the curve of Liberty's elbow. His attention went to Viatrix when the Grey Widowmaker went through a series of flips that nearly tossed her into the water. Tony laughed, the sound turning into a squeal when Viatrix flicked water at him on one of her passes. Liberty huffed and lowered his head to watch Tony.

He felt Tony patting at his face, taking measurements by the width of his hands. Liberty closed his eyes, not surprised when Tony got distracted by the softer scales around his eyes. He didn't want to ask about Howard, he had learned early on that Tony rarely saw Howard. His father was either in his personal lab or in the office. Maria was a better topic, although she was often working with her own charities and then playing the society wife for Howard. The person that Tony had the most contact with was his nanny, and Liberty knew nothing about that. He was sure that he should have felt more disturbed by the way that Tony was treated, but it was the normal way of life for dragons.

He opened his eyes, Tony laughing and sitting back. Liberty watched the boy snuggle into the cure of his elbow, going back to stroking over his scales. "What do you think of what Father does?"

Liberty hummed, glancing back to where Viatrix was landing. "It's helpful. I wouldn't have anyone else outfitting us."

"That's good." Tony nodded, reaching up to touch the old scar from the World War I that ran across his shoulder and chest. "But you still get hurt."

"That was before."

"There was another one. I saw it on the news."

Liberty sighed, trying to come up with an answer that wouldn't distress Tony. He was amazed at how attached the boy was to the dragons in the SSR despite the fact that he was barely around. He flicked his tail, glad that Tony couldn't see. "That wasn't your father's fault. We couldn't wear our armor then, it was an order."

"Oh." Tony looked back to where Viatrix was landing. "So that's why Father wanted to make lightweight armor."

Liberty hummed. "Probably. I'm sure that it'll help in some way."

He expected Tony to be satisfied by the answer. Instead, the boy pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. "You'll still get hurt though. Even Father can't stop that."

"It's my job." That explanation didn't seem to agree with Tony either. Liberty sighed. "I don't actually fight anymore; I'm just used for covert missions."

"You might again." Tony stared at him for a moment before breaking into a smile. "So I won't let you go to war again."

Liberty was about to tell Tony that he couldn't do that, but the determined look on Tony's face made him stop. He doubted that Tony really believed that he would fail in anything. Trying to talk him out of it would only make Tony fight harder. Liberty sighed and shook his head. Tony could think what he wanted, he would learn the limits of his power soon enough and Liberty would allow Tony the illusion.

Tony took his silence as an answer, beaming up at him. "Good. I'll tell Director Carter to keep you out of war zones. She'll have to listen to me."

"Tony-"

"Tony! Get down from there!" Liberty jumped, jerking his head around. Howard was standing with his arms crossed, staring up where Tony was perched.

Before he could explain, Tony was already jumping down and running back over to his father. Howard looked at his son and turned back to the table. "I don't have time for you to play around. Stay close to me."

Liberty didn't hear Tony's reply, the boy must have mumbled as he was pushed back to the table. He watched Tony leave, setting his head back down. He wouldn't argue with Howard, not over Tony. It wasn't his place. Liberty narrowed his eyes, keeping a watch over Tony. It might not be his place to come between Howard and Tony, but he would look after the boy. He had become fond of Tony. If there was any chance of it, Liberty would take Tony as part of his crew in a heartbeat. He was sure that Howard would never allow it, but it was a pleasant thought.

"Liberty!" He stood up at the sound of his name, walking over to where Howard was gesturing. He could see his ground crew scrambling to sort out the pile of armor that had been set aside for him. From the side, Howard laughed. "Give it a good run. I want to make sure that this stuff works."

Liberty nodded, settling into a position where the crew could start to attach the armor, avoiding Tony's gaze. By testing the armor, it wasn't Tony breaking his promise. Liberty doubted that he would go into a war ever again, simply because he was too valuable. At least that meant that Tony wouldn't be disappointed.

* * *

It was strange to be living in a covert again after so many years of living on a dragon transport or constantly on the move. Liberty curled himself into a tight ball, remaining like that for a moment before remembering that he could stretch out. There was plenty of room here; he didn't have to avoid the other dragons that would lie tangled on the deck. Liberty smiled and rolled onto his side, staring up at the sky. Peggy had been right to take over the abandoned covert when the Air Force had decided to move to a new location, it gave the SSR dragons a place to be between missions other than the dragon transport, which was getting more crowded as the years went on.

The steady rotation of dragons that were close to retirement was doing wonders for them, it kept the original three dragons from getting too exhausted by the constant work. At the last count, Liberty was sure that they had at least seven dragons out with teams. Before, that would have meant that he, Viatrix and Fergal would have been flying from place to place to keep contact with their teams. Now, they were settling into a more permanent fixture.

The sound of footsteps made him roll onto his stomach, Liberty not surprised to see his first lieutenant Fury come walking over. Nick always made sure to check in on him at least once a day, especially now that they were on leave. Or, he was on leave; Nick was taking care of the important business of assembling Liberty's first permanent crew since the World War II. Since Liberty had joined the SSR, he had been on a nearly constant rotation of crew members, his officers being the only ones that stayed put for any length of time. It was surprising what a relief just the idea of having a crew that would be staying with him was.

Nick pulled up the camp chair that he kept stored in Liberty's clearing, setting it down by Liberty's head before sitting down heavily in it. Liberty tried to avoid looking at the eye patch over Nick's left eye, not wanting the guilt. Their last mission had led to Nick losing his eye. Liberty didn't quite know the details, Nick had never told him. He had only found out when other agents had called him in as last minute back up to air lift them away. Liberty had never asked what had happened; too busy lurking around the hospitals as he waited for Nick to be released. To his relief, the eye patch didn't seem to be bothering Nick, even if the man was a bit slower to react as he got used to the limits of his vision.

He settled his head so it was close to Nick's chair, staring at the papers that Nick held. The writing on them was too small for him to see, Liberty huffing. Nick didn't seem to notice his annoyance, staring intently at the papers until he sighed. "I've been looking over these recruits since we've gotten back and I am close to giving up."

"That bad."

"Yes." Nick tossed the papers down in his lap. "All the others have gotten the good people and we're left with the rawest of the recruits."

Liberty was sure that he and Nick pulled the same face. He had served for years as a training dragon for recruits and, while he didn't mind them for short periods of time, Liberty would prefer to have some experienced hands. He was tired of having to sit through three tries to get his harness on when the Howling Commandos had been able to throw the whole thing on in under two minutes.

He dug his talons into the ground, carving grooves as he thought. "And our Plan B."

That got a smile from Nick. "Steal from other departments. There are a few who are being stuck in the wrong job." He gestured at the papers. "Without resorting to Plan B, we have about five people, counting me."

Liberty tipped his head, the closest he could get to a shrug in a close conversation. "I've flown with less."

"I know. Director Carter has given me permission to do what I want with your crew. And what I want, his another group of Howling Commandos; a small crew that can go anywhere that actually involves the dragon. I don't know about you, but I am sick of running into things that I know you can take out and not having the right equipment to handle the situation."

Liberty glanced at the eye patch, nodding slowly. He could think of many injuries that his crew had suffered over the years that he could have prevented with his presence. The idea of being involved instead of just a carrier was tempting too. He was getting sick of being held back just because he was too much of a national treasure to lose. He was a soldier first and foremost, he had always been that. Even before Steve, he had been a soldier.

He dug his talons into the ground again, restarting the calming pattern of tearing furrows in the ground. "So, who do you have?"

Nick waved the sheets of paper, Liberty assuming that those were the chosen men from the agents that were already on the dragon details. Liberty had a feeling that he knew all of the men already, Nick wouldn't just choose random people to serve on a small crew. He assumed that they would be pointed out to him soon enough. The people Liberty had to worry about were those that weren't usually working with the dragons. "I'm having trouble convincing the others to let some good men go, so we might even be understaffed."

"We'll manage."

"We'll have to. They're already getting assigned missions." Nick sighed and shook his head, Liberty sure that Nick was on the verge of going into his rant about the efficiency of those on the lower levels. Nick sighed and shuffled through the papers again. "Our leave remains the same though."

"Good." Liberty closed his eyes, intending to take a nap. Peggy had promised that they would go flying later, something that was becoming far rarer as the years went on. Liberty liked his new crew and officers well enough, but Peggy was something special.

"First Lieutenant Fury." Liberty tipped his head to the side without opening his eyes, listening as the person came jogging up.

He heard Nick get up from his chair. "Coulson, glad you could make it. I wanted to get you introduced to Liberty before the rest of the crew."

"I've already met him."

Liberty opened his eyes in shock, staring at the man that was standing a few feet from him. He lifted his head slightly, humming. He couldn't remember meeting Coulson, but a lot of people had been introduced to him over the years. For all he knew, it could be one of the agents that had been assigned to him during a training mission. He hardly saw those recruits after their first missions; they were shuffled around between the dragons too much. Liberty huffed and stretched his neck out, trying to place where he would have met the man.

Coulson didn't seem too disturbed by his scrutiny. If anything, the man's smile widened. "I met him when I was a kid, out in Central Park."

Liberty tipped his head to the side, remembering the small boy that had come running up to him. He didn't get to say that he recognized Coulson, Nick cutting into the conversation.

"Familiarize yourself with the equipment, Coulson. I have to drag the rest of his crew away from wherever they are hiding and get this show on the road. I would still like to have some of my leave left to me by the end of this."

"Yes sir." Coulson walked over to the pile of equipment, beginning to sort through it. Liberty edged closer, lifting up some of the heavier pieces and beginning to separate them out. If Nick had the rest of his crew assembled, then he meant to give them a crash course today. Liberty doubted that they would go flying, which was good. He didn't want to cancel on Peggy.

He sat back on his haunches, watching as Coulson finished with his self appointed task. Liberty turned his head as the rest of the crew gathered, sighing and sharing an equally put upon look with Nick. Hopefully they would get this done quickly, he eager as Nick to take full advantage of his leave.

* * *

Liberty landed in the middle of the field, glad to see that his whole crew was gathered at the edge. As soon as he had landed, they began moving towards him. He craned his neck, trying to catch sight or scent of something that showed that anyone was injured. He could catch hints of blood, but nothing fresh enough to be an open wound. Liberty relaxed, settling for a glare a Nick.

When they had created his small crew it had been with the promise that Liberty would be used as well. This time, he had just sat on the sidelines, waiting for the call out with the two crew members that had stayed behind to act as a ground crew. He should have been relieved that it meant that the mission hadn't involved anything too dangerous, but he was just annoyed that Nick had failed to check in with him over the course of the mission.

He snorted when he saw that Nick was dragging a kid towards them. He hoped that picking up strays wouldn't become a habit; he wasn't sure how Peggy would react to it. It was only a kid after all.

Liberty stretched out a leg, allowing his crew to climb up onto his back. Both Coulson and Fury stopped before mounting up, Fury ignoring the way that the boy that he held squirmed. Liberty glanced at the bow the boy was holding before looking over at Coulson. "What's going on?"

"We're taking the kid." Fury sighed and let go of the kid, climbing into place. Liberty turned his head, hoping to get a better explanation only to get silence.

He huffed and turned to look at Coulson, confused by the amused look on the man's face. Coulson shrugged, walking over to Liberty's side and tapping. Automatically, Liberty stood up, allowing Coulson to grab an extra personal harness. He waited until Coulson was standing in front of him to speak again. "What's going on?"

"We were looking into our contact when they turned on us. This kid just came in and started firing off arrows when we were in a tight spot." Coulson tossed the harness to the kid. He shrugged, starting to climb up onto Liberty. "I guess I started to root for this guy."

Liberty blinked, looking back at Fury. As a captain, he was in his full rights accept or deny the kid a place, but he didn't know the full situation. He would rely on Fury's judgment for this, but that didn't mean that he would just allow this to happen quietly. "The mission?"

"It got complicated. The contact we had turned out to be a double agent for Hydra."

Liberty growled, digging his talons into the ground. "And the kid?"

"Saved our skin, as much as I hate to admit it." Fury crossed his arms over his chest. "He was perched somewhere high up, firing arrows down at Hydra agents calm as can be." There was a short pause before Fury sighed. "He could be useful."

"So we're just going to take him?"

"By his own admission, he's an orphan."

Liberty glanced over at the kid in surprise, watching as he struggled into the harness. "I didn't know we were in the business of adopting orphans."

"We aren't. But a marksman like him is too good just to waste in the circus. So we're bringing him along." Fury raised his voice, shouting down so the kid could hear him. "You're Coulson's problem now, you hear me? I don't want to have to keep checking up on you. Got that?"

The kid gave Fury a sloppy salute, Liberty laughing at the motion and the look of disgust on Coulson's face. He expected that Coulson had expected that the kid would have been passed on to someone else. Liberty tipped his head to the side, flicking a wing out. "So, he's part of my crew."

"Temporarily."

"We do need a good marksman." Liberty fought the urge to grin as Fury sputtered. "You said so yourself not a week ago."

By the way Fury slumped Liberty knew that he had won his argument. He puffed himself up, leaving his crew to clip themselves in as he turned his full attention to the kid. Liberty watched him snap the harness into place, glancing it over before deciding that it would do. There were a few straps that were hooked into the wrong places, but it would hold until they got back to the covert. Liberty snorted and raised his head, glancing back at Coulson. "You'll be teaching him the basics when we get back."

Coulson sighed. "Yes sir."

Liberty gave him a curt nod before offering his foreleg to the kid. "Get on and clip in."

The kid gave him a sideways glance before smirking. "Can I ride on your head?"

"No." Liberty lowered his head so he was staring eye-to-eye with the kid. "You'll ride with the rest of them."

For a moment, the kid looked like he was about to argue. Then he just shrugged and settled the bow over the harness. "Sounds like fun."

Liberty caught the eye roll that Coulson gave and the way that the man mouthed fun. He chuckled to himself, crouching down and pushing off from the ground.

* * *

Clint bounced through the crowd, Liberty shaking his head at the archer's antics. Trust Clint to act like a five year old at a party. Then again, Peggy's retirement party wasn't as depressing as he thought it was. What was worrying him was the fact that Peggy hadn't come to speak to him.

Liberty craned his neck, searching for Peggy among the crowd. He spotted her over by the cake, speaking with Nick Fury and a group of people that Liberty didn't recognize. His first instinct was to growl at them, but he kept himself silent, just in case it was the council that Peggy had been talking about. Apparently having the SSR just running on its own wasn't good enough anymore, the government wanted a check. A check and a name change. Liberty snorted and turned his attention back to the party.

Peggy would come over when she was ready, he would just enjoy what parts of the party that he could. He couldn't help but feel a bit used, because retirement was always taking away his best officers; first Peggy and now Nick. Liberty felt a bit of pride that he seemed to be turning out the best officers, but he couldn't help but feel that it would be better to keep the best officers on dragons instead of stuck behind a desk. Still, he couldn't just stop Nick from being promoted to director, not while it would keep Coulson from getting promoted as well.

Liberty sighed and stood up, carefully picking his way to the end of the dragon transport. He didn't want to be a part of the party at the moment. It wasn't like the first one when Colonel Phillips had retired, then he had known everyone because the SSR was so small. Now it wasn't just a few people and a single dragon transport, it was now a large organization with five transports, a covert and many buildings scattered around the United States. He was proud to see that the SSR had grown, but it didn't stop him from feeling lost in it.

The other dragons clustered around the edge of the crowd, conversing with the people closest to them. That left the back of the deck open for him to sprawl out. Liberty grunted and lay down, staring back at the party. He didn't quite know what had suddenly broken him out of his mood, but he suddenly wanted nothing more than to fly back to the covert where Fergal and Viatrix were waiting. But he couldn't do that, not to Peggy.

He lifted his head as Peggy made her way over to him. Liberty chuckled as he saw that she was holding a piece of cake, making a place for her to sit. "Am I your cake refuge?"

"What?" Peggy stared at him for a moment before she smiled. "Of course. It's the best use of a dragon."

She settled by his side, eating her cake. Liberty lifted a wing over her, tucking his head in as well. Peggy reached over to stroke his muzzle, a sad smile on her face. "We never had the time to do this anymore. I regret that."

"We were busy."

"Work, missions and stolen flights at night. It almost sounds romantic." Peggy chuckled, leaning back against him. "It was fun while it lasted."

"Then why don't you stay?"

"Because I'm getting too old for it. I need to rest these old bones. You're lucky; you have another century before you can think about retiring."

"I don't think I will." Liberty lifted his wing just enough to look at the people on the deck. "I haven't known any other life than this. Retirement doesn't sit well with me."

"Well, it's fine with me." Peggy set her plate down. "I'm old and tired, Liberty. I've spent forty-five years trying to clean up after the war, and we've managed well enough. Forty-five years chasing Steve's ghost around the world seems long enough, don't you think? I woke up a few weeks ago and realized that I was alright with that, I was alright without knowing where Steve was. I'd gotten over his death years ago and I guess it finally got to a point when I realized that I was just kind of stuck in a loop. This is me getting out of it. I don't want to become like one of those war brides, waiting forever for someone that doesn't come back."

She pulled her hair back from her face, putting it into a ponytail. "This isn't goodbye, you know. It's just me sending myself back to the covert."

"So you'll still visit?"

"Of course. Like I could leave you on your own. We're both old hands, you just have the better deal."

Liberty huffed and lifted his head. Peggy tried to bat him away, Liberty easily hooking the hair tie over one of his teeth and pulling away. He laughed when her ponytail came out, Liberty spitting out the hair tie and pulling his head from the cover of his wing. He felt Peggy slapping his side, distracted from the light contact by the sight of Clint and Coulson standing in front of him. Liberty sighed and folded his wing against his side, Peggy standing up quickly and fixing her hair again.

"Hello, gentlemen. I'll be returning your dragon to you now. Please, take care of him. I don't want to have to come back and lecture you."

Coulson shook his head, reaching out to rest a hand on Liberty's side. "Yes ma'am."

Peggy gave Liberty one last pat before picking up her plate and walking away. Liberty lifted his head, watching her go and fighting back the urge to whine. He had no business holding her back no matter how much he wanted to. It would be better to let her go while there was still a chance of visiting her, that he wouldn't be as hurt when Peggy finally died. He had been lucky so far, he had been put through a steady rotation of crews so that he didn't have to watch as his own crew died. It had been hard enough when the Howling Commandos had started to die; Liberty could only imagine what it would have been like when Peggy died if she had still been working with him.

He was distracted from his thoughts as Clint climbed onto his head and settled himself just in front of where the spines started to run over his skull. Liberty held still, far too used to Clint perching on the highest part of him. He had even caught Clint napping on his back a couple of times. Liberty had long since gotten used to Clint and his strange habits.

Coulson came to lean against Liberty, looking back at the party. "They're only removing Director Fury, the rest of us are staying on."

"Good. It would take too much to train up another crew." Liberty raised his head slowly, feeling Clint shift to accommodate the move. "And I don't think you'd appreciate having to work with recruits who all act like Clint."

"Hey, I behave myself."

Coulson ignored Clint, tipping his head back. "I'd like to avoid that, thank you very much. The crew we have is good enough for me. Although, I think we might lose a few to the newer dragons coming in. Maria will definitely want to stick close to Fury."

"A smaller crew doesn't bother me." Liberty sighed. It was true, he preferred a smaller crew, but he didn't like the idea of members of his crew being _taken_ from him. "As long as they can handle themselves."

"They're all Fury trained, I should think so. Even that joker can hold his own."

"Hey!"

Liberty crooned to try and comfort Clint, swaying his head slightly. He heard Clint laugh, Liberty smiling to himself before lowering his head so he could speak on eye level with Coulson. Coulson patted his muzzle with a chuckle. "I think we'll be able to handle ourselves just fine. And, with more dragons being granted to us through a private breeder, you won't have to run yourself ragged. We'll get the prime pick of the missions though."

"Finally. It's good to get the perks of a senior position." Liberty sighed, glancing back at the retirement party. He spotted Peggy again, mingling with the SSR staff. He sighed and curled closer around Coulson. He would be happy for himself and the position he acquired, as well as Peggy and Nick. He just hated the feeling that people would be taken away from him. The Howling Commandos were staring to die and now Peggy was leaving him as well. Suddenly, being able to live for centuries wasn't such an advantage.

Coulson gave him one last pat before disappearing into the crowd, leaving him with Clint. Liberty felt Clint slide down his neck, turning his head when the archer tumbled down his shoulder. Clint grinned up at him and patted Liberty's cheek. "Don't be so down. You still have us."

Liberty wanted to roll his eyes and joke back, but he wasn't in the mood. Clint seemed to sense this and sat back on Liberty's foreleg. "Wake me up when this thing is over. I want to practice shooting and I can't do that with all of these people around. Although it would be amusing."

"Don't annoy the director so early."

"Of course. I'll wait until tomorrow."

Clint waved him away, Liberty waiting until Clint had stretched out to curl around him. Liberty settled his muzzle on the deck, watching the party.

* * *

"Clint? Clint answer me!" Liberty banked over the city, hissing when there was no reply. Coulson wasn't answering his calls over the radio either, which was another problem. It was just the three of them now, the other members of his crew had transferred to other dragons or had been sent on other missions. Liberty had argued with Fury the best that he could, but the director had authority over him. Apparently, Fury wanted Liberty as a part of a quick response team, a team that wasn't even assembled yet. Even with a minimal crew, Fury still trusted them with missions that usually would have taken a full crew and Liberty had never argued.

He should have argued this one time.

They had been sent after a particularly difficult agent, one that had been bothering the SSR for a while. Or, Liberty should be calling it the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division. A name change after so many years was hard to handle. It didn't matter in the end, there were a few Russian agents that were causing trouble and they had to be dealt with for another, less experienced team to go in. Unfortunately, Liberty and his team was understaffed.

He growled and went to land on the deserted streets. They were plenty wide enough; the streets had been made to accommodate heavyweight dragons. It was just enough room for him to land and take off, but that wasn't his priority at the moment. Liberty turned his head to check the radio device that was clipped to his shoulder, nodding when he saw the light that was blinking there. The radio was still functioning, but it was Stark Tech so there was no reason that it shouldn't work.

The sound of gunfire made him look up, Liberty crouching for a moment before he growled. He couldn't raise his two crew members on the radio, which meant that he had to go in. Liberty tucked his wings in before taking off at a run through the streets. He wouldn't be able to get into some of the alleys, but the main streets were enough if Clint and Coulson had stuck to the plan to lure the agent out into the open. A dragon bearing down on them wasn't the most subtle thing either, Liberty was sure that they could feel and hear him coming.

A flash of black out of the corner of his eye made him turn his head, Liberty twisting to see a woman jumping between two buildings. Coulson had showed him enough pictures of their target for him to know that this was the one that they were after. There were two more agents that were to be killed, but the woman was the priority. Liberty snarled, standing up on his hind legs to snap at her. The woman just dodged out of the way, turning in the direction that Liberty had chosen.

He grinned and dropped back down onto four legs, going back to chasing her through the streets. It was a challenge to keep herding her in the direction of the last place that Coulson had been, she kept trying to slip away from him. It was only because Liberty was larger than her that he managed anything. They doubled back far too many times for Liberty to be comfortable with, the agent almost slipping away at least ten times. But she would always stop short when presented with open jaws and the threat of being bitten. Thankfully, Liberty didn't have to keep her alive, he just wanted back up in case she had a plan that he wasn't aware of.

Finally he had her heading in the right direction, the gasping breaths she took an indication of how tired she was. It was only fair, because he was panting as well, his muscles aching from the tight turns done at high speeds. Dragons weren't meant for running, most of their muscles had developed for flight. Liberty shook his head, planting his hind legs so he could pivot around them and cut the woman off again.

It was then that he heard the crackle of the radio, Liberty giving his head a shake in case the patch that was pressed close to his ear had started to come off. There was another wave of static before Clint's voice came through. "Liberty? Where are you?"

"Ground. Got her." He extended his neck to snap at her again. "Going to Coulson. Get other two."

"I didn't have to." Liberty almost stopped, reacting at the last minute to one of the agent's attempts to break away. There was another rush of static, Liberty's attention snapping back to Clint. "The other two are dead, she must have killed them. I don't know why, but I watched her do it and she knew I was there. She killed two men in under two minutes and didn't get me."

"So?"

"I'm starting to root for her."

That made Liberty skid to a stop, turning his head to look behind him. "Clint?"

"I'm on my way to where you are. Just…let me try something."

Liberty huffed and sat back on his haunches, eyeing the agent. She had stopped running and was standing poised. He was sure that she would take off the next chance he gave her, but he was going to let Clint try out his idea. Liberty had been in the air for most of the mission, chasing off the dragons that were curious enough to investigate. He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the agent, fighting back the urge to gather a fire ball. It would only leave him spitting out sparks later, which was an obvious enough threatening move that it might scare her away.

Clint appeared on one of the rooftops, Liberty automatically moving to act as a bridge between the roofs where the agent and Clint was. He got a pat on the head as Clint jumped from him to the next rooftop. The archer settled on the edge of the roof, holding up his bow and quiver before setting them to the side. They were both within easy reach, but the agent had made no move to remove her own weapons, although she was fiddling with something around her wrists. Clint rested one arm on his knee and leaned forward.

"Thanks for that back there, by the way."

The agent made a face and dropped her arms to her sides. "It wasn't for you."

"I know, but you made our job that much easier. So thanks." Clint paused, rocking back. "Would it be too much to ask-"

"Yes."

"Fine. Fine. Don't tell me" Clint held up his hands. "I guess it's fair that I do you a favor since you did us one."

"I told you it wasn't a favor."

"Then this is just me trying to be nice." Clint grinned and motioned with one hand for Liberty to sit. Liberty huffed, resenting the command but followed the order. He was gratified when the agent's eyes jumped to the silver bars that were visible on his shoulder, her eyes widening a fraction, but her attention quickly went back to Clint. He waggled his fingers at her. "We've got you set up for a trap if you continue that way."

The agent tensed, her arms coming up into a defensive position again. "Why would tell me this?"

"Because I like your style. While I am _dying_ to know why you turned on your own people and why you didn't take out me or the other members of my team when you had the chance, I don't need to know. What I am saying is that you can do far better than running around with his rabble, because they're just a mess at the moment."

"I don't care about them and I don't care about you."

"I know you don't. The most important thing is always yourself, right? And that's what I'm offering you." Clint paused and leaned forward, gesturing between the two of them. "Between you and me, I've got a way in with the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division and they're the ones in charge of making sure that you cease to exist so you can stop bothering the good people of America. So, I can either let you go with my thanks or make sure that you aren't bothered again. You might not care about us, but you certainly care about yourself."

"Why would you do that?"

Clint shrugged. "Because I like your style. You're efficient and not flashy at all, and I respect that. That and you managed to keep the Sentinel of Liberty on the run until I could get here. There are few people that could do that."

Liberty watched her mouth his name, her eyes widening. He was pretty sure that every country in the world knew him by now, it was just a simple fact that he had come to terms with. The Firecracker breed, while once numerous, had been worn down by the World War II, Korea and Vietnam. To his knowledge, Liberty was the only Firecracker still in active duty, the others had long since gone to the breeding grounds, replaced by new breeds, or had died in the wars.

The agent sighed, looking up at the sky and shaking her head. "What do you suggest?"

"Come with us. The Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division can't hunt you down if you are working for them."

"That's a lie."

"True, but at least you'll know where everyone is."

The agent drummed her fingers against her arms. Clint waited her out for a few minutes before standing up and stretching. Liberty saw one hand stray towards his ear, like he was about to call Coulson. He didn't get the chance to before the agent took a step forward. She glanced between the two of them before offering her hand. Clint smiled and walked forward, stopping short when the agent jerked her hand back. "One condition, this is a trial period only."

"Sure thing. Just say the word and me and Liberty will fly you to wherever you want."

She nodded and pulled her hand away, taking the verbal agreement. Liberty had to try not to laugh at the disappointed look that Clint gave her before calling in Coulson. Liberty watched Clint go through what was sure to be a verbal battering and kept an eye on the agent.

If Clint was impressed with her, he would give her a chance. But he was sure that he agreed with Coulson on some level and wouldn't hesitate to rip her in half if she posed a threat to his team. The gratifying part was that the agent realized this too by the way she was giving him a dirty look. Liberty just lifted his muzzle and returned the look, pleased when the agent didn't back down.

They two of them would get along fine.

* * *

"What were you thinking? Your orders were to kill the Black Widow to clear the way for our teams, not bring her back. Did it ever cross your mind that she's a spy?"

"It had." Coulson rubbed his forehead, very glad that he had told Clint to stay out of this. Clint would have just charged into an argument with Maria and then nothing would have gotten done. He met her gaze, waiting for Maria to look away before speaking again. "But Clint thought he saw something that the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division needed and I'm willing to trust him."

"Of course you would, you're the one who brought him along."

"Considering that is my track record, I think I would get a little more trust. Liberty agreed with this too."

"Liberty would obey anything his captain said."

Coulson tensed, forcing his hand not to stray up to his shoulder. He didn't carry the visible sign of his rank, mostly because it was just because he was the most senior agent on Liberty. The convention of using ranks on Liberty had fallen out after Fury had been named director; the crew was far too small to actually bother. Even then, it was an insult to Liberty to forget about his position. "Liberty his own captain, he doesn't have to listen to any of us."

"But he will, it's habit."

"I don't think so. He hasn't had to listen to a captain since 1945. Liberty is quite capable of making his own decisions." Coulson picked up the folders from the table and turned to leave the room. He would make a formal report to Fury when he was done looking after Liberty and had gone back to the covert. They had only stopped back at the dragon transport to check in with the teams there.

Coulson walked out onto the deck, blinking in the bright sunlight. He didn't have to squint for too long, Liberty opening up a wing to shield him. Coulson nodded, looking down at the folders, reading over the next mission that they were assigned. He doubted that they would go out on schedule. He still had to sit through Fury's shouting, although he was sure that Fury would eventually agree with him.

He closed the folders, stepping out from under Liberty's wing and over to where Clint and the Black Widow were waiting. He caught the case that Clint tossed him, tucking the papers inside. They would have a proper discussion when they returned to the covert; it would be far more private.

"So, what's the deal?"

Coulson nudged Clint out of the way, climbing back onto Liberty. "So far, there's only been reasons why we shouldn't have brought her along. No one has actually told us to take her back, just that we're idiots."

Liberty lowered his head to join the conversation. "They think she's a spy." He paused and looked over at the Black Widow. "Are you a spy?"

"If I was, I wouldn't tell you?" The Black Widow crossed her arms and glared right back at him.

Coulson wasn't sure if it meant that they liked each other or not. As long as they weren't trying to kill each other, he would take it. Fury had insisted on a small crew for Liberty, but he doubted that the director had meant a crew of two men. Having the Black Widow would make their missions that much easier.

Liberty and the Black Widow stopped their glaring contest when Liberty snorted and pulled away. "A typical answer." The dragon turned his attention back to Coulson. "So, we return to the covert."

"Yes. The director is there and he'll debrief us. Then we won't have to deal with constant questions about why we brought her. Director Fury will calm those soon enough."

"Good." Clint swung up onto Liberty's back, offering a hand to the Black Widow. He looked a little lost when she ignored his hand and climbed up herself, but he recovered quickly, feigning disinterest. "Let's get out of here before they start staring. I'm too tired for this."

Coulson clipped in, waiting until he heard the same sounds from behind him. He leaned over to secure the bag in place, tapping Liberty's shoulder when he was done. Liberty grunted in response, standing up and turning to look down the runway. Liberty stepped out onto the strip, taking a few running strides before jumping from the transport. Per usual, the transport bobbed a bit under the weight of a dragon taking off, but Liberty was away easily. Coulson dropped into the familiar crouch for flying, rocking slightly with Liberty's motion as he climbed.

It only took a moment for Liberty to adjust his course, heading for New York. Reaching the covert would take less than an hour, as long as they didn't run into too much trouble over the city. Coulson couldn't see the traffic over the city, but he trusted Liberty to maneuver them through the tangle of dragons above New York with no problem. He looked over his shoulder toward Clint and the Black Widow, a bit surprised to see them trading barbs. They had been silent all the way back. Coulson could only imagine what the two of them had gotten up to when he was speaking to Maria Hill, he wasn't sure he wanted to know. Then again, Liberty would probably tell him soon enough. With this small crew, there was no privacy.

* * *

"Where is Barton?"

"He's-shit. He's not in position." There was the faint rush of wind as there always was when she was talking with Liberty. Natasha cursed, ducking further behind the statue that she was using for refuge. "I'll make a pass and try to find him."

"Good luck, he's not responding to any calls." That got a grunt from the dragon, Natasha letting Liberty go back to circling over the city.

It was supposed to be a routine mission, just stop a rising megalomaniac from grabbing an artifact that would give him more power than it should. Or it should have been routine if said megalomaniac hadn't been smart enough to bring back up in the form of dragons instead of the usual human back up. That effectively kept Liberty busy, leaving Natasha and Clint to work their way through the ravaged city. Natasha's hopes for an easy mission had flown out the window when Clint hadn't turned up for their check in.

She peeked out from behind the statue as Liberty flew overhead, two other dragons on his tail. Natasha pulled out her gun. It wouldn't be much of a help to Liberty, the bullet would be far too small to really bother the other dragons, especially when they were in full armor. Natasha lowered her gun, settling for shooting one of the few men that their target had brought with him. Liberty wasn't going to get the chance to find Clint if he didn't get the dragons off of his tail.

There was a roar and the sound of falling masonry, Natasha seeing that one of the dragons had missed and turn and was sprawled out on the street. She narrowed her eyes before deciding to make a run for it. Liberty would back her up if she needed it. They could always find Clint later.

She took off at a run, ducking around the flailing dragon. Their target was just ahead, his hands closed tightly around something that was shining bright. Their briefing hadn't covered what exactly the mythical object was aside from the fact that it would grant the user some kind of power. Natasha didn't care what it did beyond that, the object wouldn't work if the person holding it was dead.

Natasha took aim, pausing long enough for Liberty to go rushing overhead again. The man looked up at the sound of wings, Natasha using the sound to cover the sound her gun made. The man went down in a crumpled heap, the small jewel bouncing out of his hands. She ran over, standing over the jewel as she contacted Coulson. "Secured."

"Good, I'll see about pushing through to make the others retreat."

Her own reply was drowned out by Liberty's roar as the dragon crashed down to the ground. Natasha glanced over at the sound of cracking bones, staring at the dragon that was limp on the ground. Liberty growled at the dead dragon before stepping away and walking over to Natasha.

"She was annoying."

"I'll bet."

Liberty lowered his head to stare at the jewel, shaking his head. He turned to nudge his captain's bars with his nose, a sure sign that he was comforting himself. Natasha rolled her eyes and patted his side. "It's not worth it."

"I know, but-"

"Yeah, it's pretty. But not worth it."

Liberty finally nodded in agreement, Natasha relaxing a fraction. She had never thought that Liberty would actually go after the jewel, but it was far better to be suspicious of everyone and be pleasantly surprised when they didn't try and kill you.

Natasha holstered her gun, looking down at the jewel. "I guess we wait for the extraction team and Barton to get here."

As if talking about him summoned him, the radio crackled. By the way that Liberty tilted his head she could tell that the dragon was getting the message as well. Natasha couldn't help the small smile that crossed her face when she heard Clint's voice over the communicator. "Alright, we're all cleared up down here. That was easy enough. God, I love Budapest."

Liberty and Natasha exchanged a matching expression of exasperation. They had been getting good and coordinating their expressions and, if Natasha hadn't been amused, she would have been worried about what that said about how she was fitting in. Instead she sighed and kicked a nearby piece of rubble. "Speak for yourself Barton."

"Come on 'Tasha. It couldn't be that bad on your end."

Natasha looked down the street, past the body of the dead dragon to the bodies that were scattered around from her approach. It had taken her far too long to work her way up the street, even with Liberty helping her clear a path when the dragons weren't harrying him. Still, Barton didn't have to know that.

"I was just wondering what took you so long."

"You don't rush art, Natasha."

"I thought you were just playing Cupid."

She heard Liberty chuckle at that, tuning out Barton's curses as she saw the extraction team running over to them. Natasha motioned for Liberty to step away, getting a running jump so she could grab onto the bottom of the harness. "Come on, we have to swing by and grab Clint."

She got a grunt in response before Liberty took off, Natasha leaning her head back and enjoying the sensation of flying.

* * *

Liberty jerked awake from his nap, stumbling to his feet at the racket that came from the covert. Around him, he could hear the other dragons waking up, a few of the younger ones taking to the air in their panic. Liberty snarled as a courier flew too close to him, twisting so he could snap at the dragon. He kept one eye on the panicking dragons as he stepped out of his spot, careful to avoid the piles of equipment.

Around him, the other dragons were looking up from their spots, muttering between themselves as they waited for news. Liberty stood up on his hind legs to try and get more height. He wasn't going to risk taking flight, not with other dragons overhead. He wasn't as tall as some of the other middleweights or the two heavyweights that were employed by Fury, but he could see a bit further down the covert to the landing area.

There was nothing that Liberty could see, no injured dragon or messenger that was running to the buildings that houses the crew for the covert. Everything looked completely normal, which put him even more on edge.

Liberty snorted and came back down to all fours. A glance toward the other dragons showed that they weren't doing anything but looking and talking. Liberty snarled, shaking his head and starting to walk forward. If no one else was going to do anything, then he would look into it. There could be something dangerously wrong and they could be caught unprepared.

He crouched down to peer at the houses, relieved when an agent rushed out. Liberty lowered his head, the agent giving a sigh of relief. "So we've got one who has enough sense to check in." The man stood on his tiptoes to see the plate on his harness. "Sentinel of Liberty. Oh, I'm sorry, captain."

Liberty flicked out a wing in a dismissive gesture. He honestly didn't care about the title; it was too cumbersome with his name. "Just tell me what happened. Do we need to assemble our crews?"

"No. No. It's just a minor bit of trouble. Someone overreacted and sounded the alarm." The person fumbled with the papers, shaking his head. "It's not in our jurisdiction."

Liberty looked up, tracking the dragons as they were settled. Their captains were probably calling them down, calming them. Those that hadn't taken flight were settling back down for their naps, Liberty watching as the heads disappeared back below the tree line. He was a bit disturbed that none of the other dragons showed any initiative, although they were probably too used to just listening to their captains.

He huffed and turned his attention back to the person, trying to look as sincere as possible. "Well, if it's not in our jurisdiction, there's no reason not to tell me. That'll keep some of the more curious dragons from asking you all day."

The man nodded, but refused to meet his eyes. Liberty wasn't too put off by it, not many people wanted to meet any dragon's eyes while speaking to them. Liberty scooted back a few inches, not wanting to crowd the man. It took a few more minutes of looking at the ground before the man responded. "They must have heard that there was an attack on a convoy in Afghanistan. Some of the younger dragons look forward to any kind of mission; they must have thought that it meant they were going to be sent out."

"And?"

"They won't, there's no reason to. The Army and the Air Force will handle things. It wasn't an all out battle, just a one off." The man paused, staring at the pages before muttering a curse. "Apparently there was only one captive. Then again, it's a matter for the Army and the Air Force."

"Who's the captive?"

"Tony Stark."

The man walked away before Liberty could stop him. Liberty meant to make him stop and explain the situation, because Tony was important. Tony was the little boy who had talked to him when Howard was giving demonstrations on the dragon transport. Tony was the man who had always made sure Liberty had the latest technology, things that had saved his life many times in the field. Tony was not just someone to be abandoned, that's the way he had lost Steve. There were still days that he regretted not going after Steve and searching through the arctic himself, sure that he would have found his captain.

Liberty turned and ran back to his clearing, not surprised to see Coulson waiting for him. Coulson would be on top of things. Liberty skidded to a stop, ignoring the furrows that he left in the ground. He leaned over, lowering his head so he was even with Coulson. "I need a message sent to Fury."

"Already sent." Coulson was stepping into a harness, quickly buckling it up. "I'm coming with you. We'll need to brief Tony once we find him." Coulson climbed up onto Liberty's back, sitting through the excited bouncing to clip in. He didn't bother to sit up, instead remaining crouched down. "Drop me off in California and then go straight to the base there to join the search. Keep in contact."

Liberty grunted in response, shoving off of the ground and flapping as hard as he could. He stretched his neck out, trying to keep himself as streamlined as possible as he sped toward the west coast.

* * *

Liberty licked the last of the blood from his lips before pushing his muzzle into the water trough, drinking in large gulps. He pulled himself back quickly, leaving enough for the next dragon who came in. Liberty walked away from the space that they were using as a feeding area, listening to the other dragons growling and snapping at each other. He was lucky enough to be the oldest dragon there and the one with the most experience, which meant that he could shoulder his way to the front of the lines to eat first. It was the first time he was using that privilege and it was only because they needed to find Tony.

He strode over to where the next patrol was waiting, crouching down and waiting for the crew to load on. After nearly three months of searching, the number of dragons had gone down so they could only run three patrols of two. The military dragons had long since returned to their duties elsewhere or to the United States. The dragons that remained were from Stark Industries or the one old Air Force dragon that only went on search and rescue missions. Liberty turned his head and looked over the six dragons and shook his head.

"Last one of the day." He turned his attention to Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes as the man walked over. Rhodes clambered up onto his back, the same way that Rhodes had every day for almost three months.

Liberty just gave a curt nod in response, spreading his wings. The other middleweight by his shoulder copied him, the two dragons waiting for their crews to settle down. As soon as the signal was given, they were off, Liberty gaining height so he could look down at the ground. The crew was equipped with binoculars, so he could climb to the level where his own sharp eyes would work the best.

He turned his focus to the desert below, scanning for anything that could pinpoint where Tony was. He had gotten good at this part, although it was getting to the point where it was beginning to get boring. But it was the mission, and Liberty wouldn't fail this mission. He couldn't bear to lose anyone else.

They were halfway through their search when the other dragon let out a short roar, enough to get Liberty's attention away from the ground on his side. He turned his head, his eyes widening as he saw someone stumbling down a sand dune. Liberty didn't wait for the orders to come from Rhodes, beginning to circle down. If that was Tony, he didn't want to kick up sand over him. The other dragon stayed circling above, doing a check for any danger before joining him in landing.

Liberty started to walk as soon as he had landed, breaking into a jog. He would let his crew off when he was sure that it was Tony or someone on their side. He didn't have too much time to debate over the identity of the person, the man falling to his knees and flashing a peace sign. Liberty lost what decorum he managed to hold, breaking out into a full out run. "Tony!"

He plowed to a stop, dropping his head and pressing his muzzle against Tony's chest. Liberty jerked at the sharp scent of metal and the hum against his muzzle, but Tony didn't let him go far, hanging onto him like a lifeline. Liberty sighed and leaned slightly into Tony, rocking them both slightly until Rhodes clambered down.

"How was the fun-vee?"

Tony peered around his muzzle, offering Rhodes a smile. Rhodes nearly collapsed his knees beside Tony, reaching around Liberty to rest a hand on Tony's shoulder. "Next time you ride with me."

Tony just nodded, leaning into the two of them.

Rhodes let the three of them lean against each other before standing up, shooing Liberty away. Liberty took a step back, lowering himself to the sand as Rhodes guided Tony over. They had an extra harness that they could put Tony in, so he would be safe on the flight back.

Tony was handed up to the crew, leaving Rhodes on the ground. Liberty turned his head to watch the proceedings, almost afraid to take his eyes from Tony in case he disappeared. A tap against his foreleg got his attention directed down to Rhodes.

"How far could you fly?"

"How far do you need me to go?"

Rhodes rubbed the back of his neck. "We'll take him back to camp for a quick check over and then I want to get him home. I'm sure Tony would appreciate it."

"I'll get us as far as I can, just give me a map with the nearest dragon transports."

That got a smile from Rhodes, the lieutenant colonel swinging back up onto Liberty's back. "I like you so much better than the other dragons back at base. They're always complaining about mileage and strain."

Liberty snorted, standing up. "This is about Tony, he's important."

"I hear you." Rhodes patted his neck before leaning down to help with Tony. Liberty watched the proceedings, tensing when Rhodes stood up. "When you're ready, as fast as you can."

He didn't give the crew much of a warning, pushing off hard from the ground and flapping as fast as he could. Liberty heard the other dragon growl in annoyance, but he was too busy focusing on his orders. They would get Tony back to camp and then turn their attention to getting him back home. Liberty was sure that there would be a relay set up to get Tony back, so he wouldn't get to take him all the way back. It was enough to make him wish that he was one of the long flying breeds, but it wasn't enough to make him want to give up. He would fly Tony as far as he could before stopping, there was no other dragon that he trusted with Tony's safety.

Liberty turned his head as much as he could, bringing Tony into his line of sight. It would take some getting used to; he hadn't flown like this since the last war he had been in. But he was carrying precious cargo, and he couldn't be too careful.

* * *

Liberty had expected a punishment for taking off from the covert to rescue Tony, even though Coulson had put in a request. The problem was that he had neither waited for the request to come through nor bothered to inform anyone that he was leaving at that moment. Liberty had returned from a dragon transport halfway across the Atlantic Ocean to find that he was being grounded for the foreseeable future. Thankfully, Fury had come out to speak to him directly and clarified that it was only as an example, although there had been a threat that it would become more if Liberty thought about doing it again.

He had never thought that it would be so long.

He hadn't been given missions, just training exercises. Fury had even sent his crew on missions without him, Natasha to Europe, Coulson to California to deal with Tony again and then to New Mexico with Clint. Even Liberty's best pouting hadn't gotten Fury to side with him. And, after his first attempt, Liberty hadn't tried again. Fury was on edge for some reason and Liberty didn't want to push too far with it. So he had accepted his punishment with quiet grace and had done everything that was asked of him.

It had been worth it to save Tony, even if the rescue had led to Tony putting himself in more danger. Liberty had gotten a new set of equipment from Stark Industries as a thank you, new technology that he couldn't even put to good use.

Liberty gave the pile of his stuff a morose look before rolling onto his side, staring up at the sky. There was nothing he could do, especially with all of his crew just getting back from their individual missions. Clint was still sacked out in his SHIELD issued apartment, probably with Natasha crashing on his couch. Coulson was tied up with SHIELD matters, finishing up reports and doing whatever Fury wanted him to do. He briefly considered going to speak to Peggy about flying, but she was nearing ninety and that was far too old for flying. Liberty didn't think he would be able to keep his flight smooth enough to not jostle her. It was one of his biggest regrets.

He sighed and closed his eyes. He just wanted someone to fly with, it was his first day that he could go somewhere other than the airspace around the covert. Even if it was just to the Helicarrier and back, he wanted to do something. He was already immaculately groomed and he had settled all his scores with the newer dragons. Even playing with his new gear was getting boring.

Liberty was contemplating another nap when he saw one of the workers hurrying over to him. With a grunt, he rolled back onto his stomach, instantly alert. To his knowledge, his crew was back and Tony had Pepper to keep him from doing stupid things. There was no reason to have someone coming to get him unless something had happened to Peggy. He shot a panicked glance in the direction that Peggy lived, getting to his feet and opening his wings. When the news came, he would be ready to fly.

The man stopped just in front of him, motioning for Liberty to lower his head. The man didn't even wait for Liberty to get on eye level before he started speaking. "They found him. You have orders to relocate to a SHIELD owned building in New York. Fury will be waiting on the roof for you. It'll have access to a basement area that you can stay in. You crew will be alerted to the change, although I think Coulson is already there."

"What?"

The man huffed before making a shooing motion at him. "They found Captain Rogers."


	3. Learn to Love the Skies I Wander

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is taken from the Mumford and Son's song Hopeless Wanderer.

His orders were changed before he had gotten too far from the covert, directing him from the building to the Helicarrier. Liberty assumed that someone had finally gotten enough sense to realize that he wouldn't just want to wait. According to the flight plans that he was relayed, the plane bringing in Steve's body would be touching down at the Helicarrier to refuel before being taken to the building. Liberty was to escort it into the city and then report to Coulson to figure out what they would do next.

The funeral was the obvious step, but it was a matter of planning the affair and then announcing it to the people. Steve would be buried with full military honors; Liberty would make sure of that. Steve had fought and died for the people of America, so he would get everything that he deserved.

Just the thought of a funeral made Liberty both slightly sick and slightly relieved. After all, it had been seventy years since he had lost Steve. It was good to know for sure what had happened to him and be able to finally relax. Now he wouldn't wake up every day hoping that Steve would turn up. It still hurt, knowing that Steve had died, but he had had seventy years to get over the loss. Maybe he had finally gotten to that place that Peggy had found, one where he had adapted to a world without Steve.

Liberty didn't even know how to break the news to Peggy; all he knew was that he wanted to be there when they did. They were the last vestiges of that world, so it was easier to take any news together.

He circled over the Helicarrier, catching sight of the plane that had been returning from the arctic. He hadn't asked if the expedition that had found Steve was funded by Stark Industries, it didn't matter at the moment. Liberty would thank Tony for his help later.

Liberty waited long enough for the landing area to clear before coming in. He braced himself on the deck, feeling the Helicarrier rock slightly with his added weight before resettling. He straightened up, noticing that none of the other dragons that were lounging among the planes would meet his eyes, probably scared of what he would do. There were dragons that reacted to losing their captains by going mad. Liberty snorted and walked back to the command tower. He would speak to Fury in the time it took to refuel the plane before acting as an escort.

He paused when he saw Coulson rushing over to him, already in harness. Liberty lowered his head, spreading his wings to act as a cover for Coulson. If they were under attack, then he would take as many people as he could and get out of there. Why someone would attack the Helicarrier at that moment was beyond Liberty. The body of Captain America couldn't mean that much. An attack was the only thing that would bring Coulson to this level of panic but it didn't explain why Clint and Natasha weren't with him. His crew tended to stay together, and he knew for a fact that both of them had some downtime after dealing with a Norse God and Tony.

Coulson didn't bother explaining it to him, just motioning to get up. Liberty frowned but raised his leg, allowing Coulson to get up onto his back. Coulson was shouting at him before he was even clipped in. "Get up!"

Without thinking, Liberty reacted to the order, turning and running down the deck of the Helicarrier instead of just leaping off. He spread his wings before he ran out of strip, gliding for a moment before flapping hard to get in the air. Only when he was circling above the Helicarrier did his shocked panic receded. In the absence of orders, he went into a holding pattern, turning his head to look at Coulson.

His first lieutenant didn't seem to be bothered by his confusion. Coulson was focused on shouting orders through their communications systems. "Liberty is up, take off. We'll follow close. Everything ready on your end?"

Liberty was surprised that he was included in the call; usually he wasn't just because there was little he could do to help the humans except for lift heavy things and act as a road block. Liberty had long since gotten over being offended over it. Now, he was just curious as to why he was suddenly pulled into this call and why their plans had been altered again.

"We have most of it set up. It should be ready to go by the time you two get here. Well, minus what to do once we're done."

"We'll work it out later. Our priority is the captain." Coulson turned, Liberty following his gaze as the jet roared through take off. Liberty climbed in altitude, watching as the jet passed by under his belly. He was shaken out of his observation as Coulson tapped his shoulder and pointed him in the same direction. Liberty turned, falling in behind the jet. "How is it?"

"We're trying to keep it as cool as possible but we're getting too close to the red area."

"It'll be fine. We're just a few minutes out." Liberty looked back at him, Coulson just motioning for Liberty to keep flying. "Try not to lose it."

"Right." Liberty turned his whole focus to keeping up with the jet.

It was one of the SHIELD vehicles, meaning that it could take off vertically if the pilot so desired, far beyond what most planes could do. Then again, it was Stark Tech, so it was no surprise. Still, Liberty had yet to meet a plane that could out fly a dragon once the dragon had put his mind to it.

Pulling up above the jet was no problem, Liberty glancing down to make sure he was in the proper position. While he was sure that no one would attack, he was acting as a buffer from dragon attacks from above. If this was a proper escort, there would be another dragon below the jet. He just had enough room to duck down in front of the jet if something went wrong. Liberty nodded to himself, keeping just enough speed to keep the jet under his belly.

The two of them flew into New York, Liberty seeing a few police dragons parting the traffic of the skies. Even with their help, Liberty still had to stretch out his neck and snap at a few dragons that were too slow to move out of the way or too curious for their own good. Thankfully, most of the dragons decided to hang back in their confusion. It was rare that a plane got a dragon escort, especially by a dragon as recognizable as him. Liberty was sure they would just assume that it was another SHIELD mission and keep silent.

He peeled away from the jet as it began to descend to the top of the building, Liberty circling down to the back where there was a ramp opening for him. From there he could slip into the basement of the building and then to the first three floors. It would be cramped past the first floor, but Liberty would squeeze himself into any space if they needed him to. He didn't intend on just giving up his guard over his captain's body.

Liberty slid into the basement without landing properly first, finally hitting the ground with an awkward hop step. As soon as his momentum was gone, he crouched down to allow Coulson off of his back.

Coulson gave him a pat on the shoulder before running for the doors, hand pressed to his ear piece. "Bring it down to the basement, room three and light it up. Liberty is down here. Proceed as planned. Agent Carter, I want you and your team in the basement for contingency plans."

Liberty stopped paying attention when Coulson disappeared through the doors even though he was still getting the full conversations through his own ear piece. For a moment, he was tempted to just take the device out, but then it would need to be put in by humans. Tony was still working on improvements, although he was happy that he could just hear his crew again over the wind and the guns. Liberty scratched at the scales just behind the device before settling. He was far too old to be worrying himself into exhaustion, but that didn't stop him from shifting his weight from side to side where he lay on the floor.

A burst of light from his left made him raise his head, Liberty hesitating before standing up and walking over to the bank of windows. When he turned his head to the side to look in, he just saw a plain medical lab. Liberty hissed and took a step back. He didn't want to see an autopsy, didn't want there to be an autopsy. It was just too much.

He grumbled to himself as he settled down, ready to interfere if he had to. Coulson would have his back as well. There was only so much they could put Steve through.

Liberty perked up as something was wheeled in, staring at the partially melted chunk of ice. He scooted closer, nearly pressing his eye against the glass. He could see bits of Steve through the ice, Liberty keening and scratching at the floor. He had thought that he would be alright in another room; after all it was only a body. But it had been so long since he had seen Steve that he couldn't just sit still and wait for them to melt the ice around his body. Liberty tucked his wings close to him, settling in for the wait.

He settled into a comfortable position, watching as the outer ice was carefully melted away, revealing glimpses of Steve. The first thing that was completely out was his shield, which was carefully placed to one side. The focus after that was getting Steve completely out of the ice, some people working on chiseling chunks away to help ease the process along.

It was well into the third hour of defrosting when the panic started.

Liberty pushed himself upright, watching as the members of the medical team rushed around. One person even rushed to the door to shout something outside before they went back to work. Liberty glanced around before giving into the urge to move. What he wanted to do was spread his wings, but the medical team might take that as a threat and try to get him to back off. He had been still for far too long anyway. He hissed, striding back and forth across the room a few times before daring to look back into the windows.

New equipment had been pushed in, Liberty unfamiliar with most of it as dragons almost never required any kind of monitor. The one he did recognize was the heart monitor, he had spent enough time peering into the agent break room to watch hospital dramas with Clint not to. The fact that they would need such equipment shocked him. It had been seventy years, Steve was dead. He whined, settling down again as he watched the team start to hook Steve to the equipment, a few members still working on defrosting.

Radio silence about the move continued, Liberty resorting to trying to read lips by the time Coulson rushed back into the room. Liberty just heard the doors opening, not bothering to look away from where Steve is. "What's going on?"

"Captain Rogers is alive."

* * *

Liberty watched as Steve slept, listening to the sound of construction on the other side of the room. He didn't look away from his captain as Coulson walked over, the agent holding onto a clipboard. Liberty waited out Coulson, hearing the tail end of a phone conversation before he felt Coulson clamber up onto his foreleg. "It's all settled and construction should be done by today."

"Good." Liberty looked away from Steve, glancing at the small room that was nearly done. There were a few white sheets that would be put on the ground once the room was done. Liberty had taken a peek inside before the roof was put on but had been disappointed by the plain walls. "What's the plan?"

"We'll transfer Steve into the room when it's done. It should look more like something from the forties than modern day, just to help ease him in. We'll have agents coming in to check on him and Steve will be able to wander where he will after the situation has been explained to him, which will happen when he's awake." Coulson paused, patting Liberty's leg. "You'll be here the entire time."

"Good." Liberty snorted. What he wanted to do was find the person who had suggested that they trick Steve into thinking that he was still in the forties and give them a piece of his mind. It was a stupid idea that would only backfire. Did they honestly think Steve was that stupid? Liberty resettled his wings, trying to keep his temper. It wasn't Coulson's fault that some SHIELD employees were idiots.

He turned his head as he saw someone walk in, Coulson deserting his place on Liberty's arm to greet the woman. "Agent Carter."

Liberty jumped at the name. He knew about Peggy's niece, he had flown with her a few times when she was a recruit. And he had promised Peggy that he would keep an eye on her, not that she needed it much. Sharon was just as much of a spitfire as her aunt, and just as hard to talk back from an idea. Liberty almost regretted her decision not to serve on dragons, but he accepted the fact that she didn't want to get by on what her aunt had done. That didn't stop her from coming by the covert every once and a while to give him a treat and talk to him about what Peggy was doing. The last he had heard from her, Peggy was attempting to knit just because she had always heard it was fun. They had spent an hour laughing as Sharon had explained Peggy's latest attempts.

He nodded at Sharon as she came up to him, eagerly taking the hamburger she offered him as a treat. Liberty licked his lips, poking his muzzle into her side. "Hello Sharon."

"Hello. It's good to be working with you again."

Liberty looked over at Coulson, the agent already lost in his notes. He glanced up at the silence between the two of them, clearing his throat. "Sharon will be running the operation. Director Fury needs me back at the Helicarrier too often to be in charge of looking this over. We'll be back though, when he wakes up."

Liberty nodded, Sharon taking her leave of the two of them to go and look over the room. Liberty turned his head to look back at Steve, settling back into a comfortable position. He was aware that Coulson was still standing by him. Liberty supposed that there were many things that they had to talk about, like what would happen after all of this. With Steve back Liberty was torn. He enjoyed the work that he did for SHIELD, enjoyed being his own captain and the crew that he had. He was sure that Steve wouldn't make him give that up, but what he wanted to do is fly with Steve again.

It was perfectly understandable if Steve didn't want to go back into the service again and just live out his life. But there was a part of Liberty that wanted to refuse to fly if Steve wasn't with him.

He stared down at his talons, looking them over as a distraction. It was definitely a discussion that Liberty would have to have with Steve when he woke up.

Coulson gave him a final pat before moving off to finish overseeing the project and briefing Sharon. Liberty let him go without any fuss, curling up on himself. When he was sure that he would be out of the way of the construction team and anyone else who would come into the basement, Liberty turned his full attention back to Steve.

* * *

The first thing he noticed when he woke up was the soft music playing in the background. The song wasn't completely familiar, but Steve had long since lost track of the popular songs when he had gone over to Europe. Stopping Hydra had seemed more important. He frowned, slowly sitting up as he took in the room.

It was small and undecorated. The only pieces of furniture in the room were the bed, the nightstand and the dresser, where the radio sat. To his eyes, he was just in a private room like the ones that he might find in New York, maybe a hospital for wounded soldiers.

The problem was the last thing that he remembered was crashing the plane.

Steve grabbed a fistful of the sheet, reminding himself to relax a moment later. It was completely possible that Howard had found him and that they had hauled him back to America to rest up. It was also equally possible that he had been captured by Hydra, although why Hydra would put him up in such a nice place after he had killed their leader was beyond him. It was far easier to just come up with no conclusion, which was just as worrying. Without a real picture of what was going on Steve felt on edge.

He was about to get up and walk out the door when there was a knock. Steve stared at the door for a moment before remembering himself. "Come in."

A pretty brunette walked into the room, Steve momentarily distracted by the folder of papers she held. Did they expect him to be ready for debriefing right after he had woken up, after he had crashed? The brunette smiled at him, shifting the folder so it was tucked under her arm. "Good morning, Captain Rogers." She paused to look at her watch, quickly correcting herself. "Or should I say afternoon."

"Where am I?"

"In a recovery room in New York."

Steve looked around, not sure if he could trust her. To his eyes, nothing looked out of place, which was just making him more nervous. He swallowed and stood up, a bit disappointed that the woman hadn't left the door open. He could have peeked out into the hall if that was the case. "What happened?"

"You were recovered from the Arctic Circle a few days ago. It was a Stark Expedition that found you and SHIELD dug you out."

"SHIELD?"

"It'll all be part of your debriefing, Captain Rogers."

"Oh." It looked like he would be rushed off to a debriefing. Maybe he could convince whoever was in charge to hold off just long enough for him to call Peggy. She had probably taken care of Liberty while he was out and he wanted to touch base with both of them before he was lost in a chain of meetings. After SHIELD or whoever was in charge of him now was finished, he wanted to get back out into the world, get back to Peggy and apologize for missing their date. Maybe they could schedule another one, depending on the status of the war.

His eyes widened as he realized that he hadn't asked about the war. Steve swallowed, meeting the woman's gaze. "How long was I out? And how's the war going?"

He didn't miss the way the woman looked away, refusing to meet his gaze for a moment. Nor did he miss the way that she latched onto the last question he had asked. "The Allies won. Germany, the Axis Powers, Japan, they've all surrendered. It was…it was quite an accomplishment."

She bit her lip, glancing toward the door. It was almost enough to make Steve want to push past her and go see for himself. If she was that uncomfortable just answering a question about the war, then there was a chance that she was hiding something. He would be able to handle the news that the war was still going on. It just meant that taking out Hydra had not been enough and the Howling Commandos would be needed on the battlefield again. Steve didn't relish the change, not when he had gotten used to a small team of men and not when it was too much like how Liberty had lost his first captain but, whatever needed to be done for the cause, he was willing to do.

"I'd like proof of that ma'am."

"Of course. Someone is on that right now." She stepped out of his way, giving him a direct line to the door. Steve watched her carefully as she set the folder down on the dresser, remaining facing away from him. "But you should know, it's been a while."

"You said that it's been a few days."

"Since you were found." Her voice wavered over the word. She finally turned back to face him, face completely blank. "It's been seventy years since you went down."

Steve stared at her, waiting for her to admit that it was just a joke. It was a bad joke, but a joke nonetheless. People couldn't survive being frozen in ice for that long; it was something straight out of science fiction. And, if it was a lie, then he was more than likely in the hands of Hydra, and they were trying to keep him out of commission as long as they could.

He glanced at the door before deciding to take the chance. She had left an escape route open, so he would take it. If they wanted to keep him so badly, they would have to catch him.

He bolted for the door, throwing it open with a bit more force than necessary, only to be confronted by a larger concrete room instead of the hall he had been expected. Steve turned in place, frowning when he saw that the room he had been in was just a small box. He didn't know what part of the plan it served, but he would have none of it. He stumbled a few more steps away before turning around to run for the door out of this place. What he would do once he was free was still in the planning stages, but Steve knew that he would go for a map the first chance he got.

Steve didn't get far across the room, coming to a stop as he noticed the dragon curled up near one of the sides of the room. It only took him a few seconds to recognize the coloration of the dragon before he was sprinting towards it. He didn't have a harness, but he trusted Liberty to keep him alive as they made their escape.

What Hydra was doing with Liberty was beyond him since he had told the dragon to stay behind. But maybe the attack on the last base hadn't worked, maybe Hydra had fought back and won once he and the Red Skull had gotten away. If that was the case then the rest of his team and Peggy would be stuck somewhere in this building. Instead of just getting himself out, he had a full scale rescue operation to run. That would be difficult enough, especially since he didn't know how everyone else was.

"Liberty!" The dragon started to his feet at the sound of his name, Steve smiling as he ran over.

As expected, Liberty gathered him close, nudging Steve close into his chest before lying down again. Steve allowed the moment of closeness, pressing himself against the dragon as he took deep breaths. It had been days since they had seen each other and Steve didn't know what they had done to Liberty in the time between. He could allow himself this moment.

He pushed Liberty away when he had given enough time to their reunion, climbing onto Liberty's foreleg. "You'll have to fly carefully, I don't have my harness with me. Do you know where the others are?"

"We're leaving?"

"We're escaping." Steve didn't expect Liberty to balk, the dragon looking nervously at the doors. He reached out to touch the side of Liberty's muzzle. "Whatever they said they would do to me or the others doesn't matter now. We can get them out and back to our lines without any trouble. We'll just have to be careful."

"We can't just leave. Didn't Sharon explain things to you?"

The way that Liberty was familiar enough with the woman from the room made him pause, Steve taking a step back. "She gave me some story about being frozen for fifty years."

"Seventy. It was seventy." Steve paused at the way that Liberty spoke and the way that the numbers matched. Liberty slumped, his wings unfolding so the edges just touched the floor. The dragon turned his head, making sure he was on eye level with Steve. "It's not the same world out there, Steve. I know you might not believe Sharon, but believe me. You were gone for a long time."

Steve shook his head. Hydra could have convinced Liberty to say that, but he wasn't sure that they would go that far. It was far easier to threaten the life of a captain to get the dragon to comply, and Steve was safe now that he was with Liberty. None of the Hydra agents, if there were any, had tried to come after him either.

He dropped his hand from Liberty's head, turning to climb up onto the dragon. Steve paused at the silver bars that were on the harness strap that went across Liberty's shoulder. He reached up to touch them, turning to look at Liberty only to see that the dragon had his head cocked to the right, like he was listening intently to something.

Steve hauled himself up onto Liberty's back, slipping his arm between the harness and scales to hold himself in. He patted Liberty as a signal he was ready to go, not sure that the dragon would actually respond. Steve just wanted to get out of this building and out into the open. He wanted to see where he was instead of just hearing it from everyone around him, to know that it wasn't an elaborate trick.

Liberty turned his head to look at Steve. "Director Fury will meet us on the roof. He says that he'll try to explain everything there."

Steve just nodded, relieved when Liberty stood up and walked towards the back of the room. The wall was already opening itself up; Steve getting a glimpse of daylight at the end. He swallowed and tightened his hold on the harness, feeling Liberty speed up as the dragon took two bounding strides before taking off. He pressed himself against Liberty, not wanting to knock his head on the concrete as the dragon slipped through the exit and out into the open sky.

The first thing he registered was the sheer noise around him, Steve opening one eye and staring down at the streets of New York. There was a moment of disorientation at something that was so familiar and yet so different, Steve blinking quickly to try and get it to go away. It was far too strange, and the flight to the top of the building that they had been in was far too short for him to properly get his bearings.

Liberty set down carefully, crouching so Steve could slide off. He remained hovering close by as Steve walked to the edge, staring down at the people and dragons rushing below before raising his eyes to look at the city itself. After a moment of staring, it was too much to take in, Steve stumbling backwards against Liberty's leg. He heard Liberty growl, his view blocked a moment later as Liberty curled his tail around them. Steve muttered his thanks and pressed his face against Liberty's scales, taking deep breaths.

"Captain?" He turned, watching as an African-American man in a black trenchcoat approached them. By the way that Liberty didn't react too much, it was clear that they knew each other. The man even reached out to pet Liberty as he walked by. "It's a bit much isn't it? I'm sorry to say that it doesn't get much better."

Steve pushed away from Liberty's leg, ignoring the dragon's attempts to push him back. "So it's really been…"

"Seventy years. And, thanks to you, it got like this. Well, at least the good parts. The world owes you their thanks, Captain Rogers." The man paused, looking out over the city before abruptly turning to focus on him. "You going to be okay?"

"Yeah." Steve took a deep breath, daring to look over Liberty's tail again. On the second glance, it didn't look so daunting. He swallowed and nodded, stepping closer to the man. "It's just that…I had a date."

He hadn't meant to say that. Steve shook his head, clearing his throat as he attempted to speak again. "Permission to fly, sir. Everyone tells me it's been seventy years and, I want to see what I've missed."

"We'll get you a harness." The man turned to leave, pausing before he walked through the doors into the building. "Liberty is still your dragon; he refused to fly with any other captain. So we had to make him one ourselves."

The man rolled his eyes before disappearing into the building, Steve's attention already back on the changed New York. He hauled himself up onto Liberty's tail, intending to adjust to what was here until the harness came up for him.

* * *

"Captain Rogers." He managed not to jump this time. The new communicators were a wonder, the clarity making the person sound like they were right behind him. It had taken him a call or two to stop looking over his shoulder. He could even talk to Liberty now when the dragon was going at full speed without worrying that he was gong to ruin his voice. Steve hadn't been surprised to hear that the communicators were Stark Tech, he wouldn't have thought any different.

He reached up to resettle the ear piece. "Go ahead."

"You have a visitor waiting for you when you get back. I'll have them waiting for the two of you."

By the tilt of Liberty's head, Steve assumed that his dragon had gotten the message. Steve sighed and motioned for the dragon to go on, not surprised when Liberty eagerly turned for their temporary home.

He was sure that Liberty was happy at any change in his schedule of walking around New York or flying above it. From what Steve could gather from his superiors at SHIELD, they were just glad that he was interacting with the rest of the world and making an effort to catch up on all that he had missed. Liberty was the only one that looked less than happy with the way that Steve was dealing with the change, but Liberty was the only one that went with him to visit the graves of the Howling Commandos and Howard Stark. Steve assumed that Liberty would have preferred it if he had broken down in some way, because that would have been able to handle.

Steve was still waiting for that point, because he just felt like he was absorbing things without really having a reaction. The only time he had felt like he was really alive was when he had visited the graves of his team. Not even flying could get that reaction. Distantly, Steve was worried about what that meant about him, but it was hard to feel anything really while he was walking around in a daze nearly all the time.

There was a jolt as Liberty landed, the dragon easily sliding down the ramp and into the basement that both of them were using at their quarters for the moment. Liberty had a corner where there were a few old gymnastic mats to cushion the concrete and Steve's cot was right beside him. The recovery room had been taken away early on much to Steve's relief. He was sure that SHIELD would have preferred if he had moved into an apartment or to the covert, but it was just so much easier to remain in the building while they were still running tests on him. As soon as he got the green light, he was going to move into the covert, because he wasn't leaving Liberty alone. The dragon had been without him for too long, and Steve desperately needed Liberty around as a reminder that he wasn't going crazy. It was just so good to realize that he wasn't alone.

Liberty's skidded along the concrete as he came to an abrupt stop, Steve leaning over the dragon's shoulder to stare at the elderly lady that was seated in the chair by their corner of the room. Steve was at a loss as to who she was, just staring at her until Liberty started forward with a quiet. "Peggy."

The woman stood up at the sound of Liberty's voice, her face lighting up in a smile. Steve could easily see Peggy in the smile and the way she held herself. Even in her old age, Peggy stood at something close to attention and still carried herself with the same grace. And, in her smile, there was the same spunk that he had fallen in love with seventy years ago.

He fumbled for his carabiners, unclipping from Liberty's back and sliding down the dragon's leg before Liberty could crouch down. His motion drew her attention to him, Peggy giving him a small wave before beginning to hobble forward.

Liberty moved before he did, offering her a talon to lean on. Steve walked forward, carefully taking her hand in his own when Peggy came close to him. He pulled her close, holding her steady as Liberty moved away. Steve didn't pay much attention to his dragon; too busy staring at the woman in his arms. After seventy years, Peggy was still Peggy, which was the thing that he had been afraid of. He had been afraid that she would have changed too completely and then he would have been completely alone save for Liberty. The dragon was great, but he wasn't like a person.

He was thrown completely when Peggy slapped his arm. "You're late."

Steve stared at her, unable to keep the smile from his face as he watched her struggle to remain completely serious. He squeezed her arm gently, chuckling. "I couldn't call my ride. The radio was completely broken."

"You keep on saying that. I think you're avoiding me."

"Never."

Peggy huffed, patting his hand. "I bet you say that to all the pretty girls."

"No. I'm holdin' the prettiest girl in all of New York."

That got Peggy to laugh, the laugh he remembered from his time with her in the war. "You're about forty years too late for that, Captain. But thank you anyway."

Steve didn't know how to respond to that. Peggy would always be beautiful to him, no matter how old she was. Even with that, she had aged gracefully, with wrinkles around her eyes and mouth from smiling and laughing. Just that alone was enough to make him sigh with relief, because it meant that Peggy had been happy.

He picked her up to sit on Liberty's foreleg, listening to her yelp and then laugh. Peggy pushed his hands away as soon as she was secure, straightening out her skirt. "Steve, stop it. I can handle myself. If I could handle Liberty, then I can take care of myself at ninety."

Steve paused, glancing up at his dragon before hauling himself up onto Liberty's foreleg. He cleared his throat, ignoring the amused look on Liberty's face. "You…you were Liberty's captain?"

"Oh no. He wouldn't take any other."

"I wouldn't have minded."

"Well, it's not like it was all about you." Peggy patted his arm to soften her words before gesturing up at Liberty. "He absolutely refused and I agreed. I was his first lieutenant until…I can't remember, but it was in the fifties. We had a lot of good times together. We showed the world what we could do."

"I bet you did. How many officers did you scandalize?"

"So many, Steve. I could tell you _volumes_. You're up to date?" Steve gave a hesitant nod. He had read the basic accounts of what had happened while he was under the ice, but that didn't guarantee his full understanding of events. It didn't seem to matter to Peggy, because she just continued on. "In Korea I was stopped at least once a day and told that I should return home to my husband. No one would believe that I had a dragon unless he was there to back me up."

"Did you have to punch anyone?"

"Steve Rogers, I was a mature woman at that point, not a high strung young lady." She winked at him before leaning against his arm. "Besides, it was more fun to watch them run after Liberty told them off."

Steve smiled down at her. "And after that?"

"Well, I became the director of SHIELD. Of course, it was the SSR at the time. And it was a handful back then. I could only imagine it now. I do not envy Nick his job, although it was fun for a while. Retirement was fun too. I finally got the time to go visit my family, both here and in England." Peggy turned to look up at him. "You've already met my niece, Sharon. I tried to talk her into joining the dragon side of SHIELD but she prefers to keep her feet planted firmly on the ground."

"You're still very much present." Liberty broke into the conversation, lowering his head to rest on top of his foot. "Fury swears up and down you were the only intelligent person in SHIELD and Sharon shares your adventures in knitting."

Steve meant to glare at Liberty for making up stories, only to see Peggy blushing. He glanced between the two of them. "You learned to knit."

"Everyone swore it was fun." Peggy sighed and stared at her hands. "I figured that, after flying a dragon and leading a growing organization, it couldn't be that hard. And it was worse. I don't know how these ladies can do it. I think it's all a secret organization and Fury agrees with me."

The three of them laughed over that, Steve almost able to believe that he was back in England on leave after a mission. The Commandos would be at their favorite tavern while Steve spent some time with Peggy. The two of them might end up with the other Commandos, where Peggy was just as much a part of the team, or just walking somewhere in London if the Germans weren't bombing.

It was the feeling that he was finally back home that made him blurt out, "I never learned to dance."

Peggy gave him a put upon sigh, looking wistful as she spoke. "I would teach you, but these old knees just aren't what they used to be."

Steve's attention was drawn to her hands as she patted her knees, especially her left hand. There was no ring on her finger or a tan from where it once had sat. It wasn't a definite indicator of anything; Peggy just might have gotten into the habit of not wearing rings from flying on dragons and had worn her wedding ring on a chain. But it was something that he had to ask, because it had been seventy years. Peggy had been a young woman when he had left, and a beautiful one at that. There was no reason that she shouldn't have moved on.

He wiped his hands on his pants, trying his best not to look nervous even though he was sure that he was failing. "Was there ever anyone else?"

"The SSR took up most of my time, not that I minded. I like keeping busy. But," Peggy bit her lip before letting out a sad little chuckle. Steve was surprised when she slipped her hand into his, looking up into his eyes. "There was this…wonderful man from Brooklyn. He was a tough act to follow."

"Peggy, no."

"Don't you dare, Steve." There was a surprising amount of strength in her grip as she squeezed his hand. "Don't you dare blame yourself or think for one second that I did not live my life to the fullest. I enjoyed every moment and I was never lonely. I had the Commandos, Liberty, my family and everyone at SHIELD. I was _happy_ , Steve. Of course I missed you. I missed you every day that you were gone, but I didn't let that stop me from anything. I couldn't have done that and you wouldn't have let me. So I lived, Steve and it was wonderful."

"I…I'm glad."

"It would have been better with you, but you were busy." The joke fell flat, Peggy staring at where their hands were joined. Carefully, Steve gave her a squeeze back, listening as Peggy took a deep breath.

He looked up as he felt her touch his chin, tilting his head up so they could look each other in the eye. "You have to listen to me Steve, I know it's hard. I know it's hard to be in a world that's so changed. I might not understand it fully and I might have gone the easy way and eased into it, but I know what it feels like to wake up one morning and realize that someone important to you is gone. And it's because you didn't get that easy way in that I worry. So just do me one favor Steve."

"What?"

"Try not to get lost in all of that."

His first impulse to refuse, because that would mean coming to terms with the fact that Peggy wouldn't be there with him. Because it wasn't fair that he would only get a few years with her and then have to let her go with no preparation after she had already gotten over him being dead. It wasn't fair that he had missed out on all of those years with his friends and Liberty, missed out on what seemed like the most important part of his life. And he so wanted to tell her no, because there was a chance that it would make her stay.

But that was wrong, because Peggy was strong and always went for what she wanted. She would know what he was getting at and not allow him to wallow in self pity for too long. And she was asking for a promise, one that she knew that he would try his utmost to keep. Steve would just have to settle for knowing that Peggy had lived a wonderful life, which was the only thing he had wanted for her when he had been crashing the plane. She had kept her half of their unspoken promise, so it was only fair that he do this for her.

Steve nodded, finally speaking when he felt her increase her pressure on his chin. "Yes."

"Good." She smiled at him before reaching up to straighten out the collar of his shirt where it had gotten messy from flying. Peggy gently smoothed down the front corners of the collar before taking her hands away. "Now, I think I have one flight left in me and I know a restaurant that I know you would like. You're late and there'll be no dancing, but I guess that it'll work."

"I'll get you a harness." Steve slipped off of Liberty's foreleg, walking halfway to the door before turning to look at the two of them.

Seeing Peggy speaking with Liberty with one of her hands absently stroking the dragon's leg made it easy to imagine all of their years together without him. Steve swallowed around the lump in his throat, not quite sure if it was jealousy or just regret for being asleep for all of that time. It was far easier to ignore it and just walk out the doors to get the harness.

* * *

It was one thing to promise to move on for Peggy's sake and another thing altogether to implement it himself. He had tried his best, but it was difficult. Steve was still was still waking up in a sweat because of the nightmares, either from the war or because he thought that he had slept through another seventy years. And, as much as he appreciated that Liberty was always there for him when he woke up, the dragon's presence wasn't as much of a help as he thought it would be. Liberty would easily outlive him, even with his years in the ice. At ninety-eight, Liberty had barely lived his full lifespan. Out of everything, Liberty would be the one thing that would remain the same if Steve fell asleep again.

At least they had moved back to the covert, so Liberty was comfortable and they could easily be alone if Steve wanted to be. There were no more SHIELD agents rushing in to check up on him and to see if he was coping with the modern world. Personally, Steve thought that he was coping just about as well as could be expected, even more so since he hadn't completely broken down yet. He had come close once, when he had taken Peggy back to her house after their date and she had said goodbye, because it had meant that he probably would never see her again.

Moving to the covert also had another perk, the gym that was there for the captains and crews of the dragons. Since most of the SHIELD dragons were on missions, the covert was almost completely deserted, which meant that he could have the gym to himself whenever he needed it. As far as Steve knew, there was nothing that helped him more that taking out his anger at the hand he had been dealt on a punching bag. It was also the one thing that was guaranteed to keep the nightmares at bay for the rest of the night. The only side effect was that Liberty was obviously worried about him.

Even that made Steve feel guilty. He had read over the list of people that had served as Liberty's crew over the years, all of them good men and women from what he could see from their records. Liberty might not have had a large crew at the moment, only three people, but he still had one and Steve was keeping him away from them. Steve had thought that, after seventy years, Liberty would be settled into his role of being a captain himself. Instead, Liberty was still hanging around Steve when the dragon could have been doing what he enjoyed. Steve was sure that only an idiot would clear him for duty with his list of post-war issues that just looked like alphabet soup to him.

He gave the punching back another hard punch, watching as it went flying across the room to hit the floor, sand leaking out of the break in the side. Steve sighed, stretching out his back before walking back to where a line of punching bags waited for him.

Steve had just started to hook the bag into place when he heard voices, one of them clearly Liberty's. He turned to face the door just as Nick Fury walked into the building. The director took in the busted punching back with a single raised eyebrow. "Couldn't sleep?"

"I got seventy years of sleep. I figure that's enough." Fury just laughed, coming to stand beside Steve. Steve gave him a sideways glance, reaching out to steady the swinging punching bag. "You here to get me out into the world?"

"I'm here to get you to save it." That got Steve's attention. He stepped away from the bag, beginning to take the tape from his hands. Fury pulled out a piece of paper and handed it over to him when Steve had finished. "This is the Tesseract, you might recognize it. Howard Stark pulled it from the ocean while he was looking for you."

"He should have left it there." Steve made a conscious effort not to tear the paper in his hands. He had already lost everything to the Tesseract once; it was infuriating to realize that someone had unearthed it again. And, if Fury wanted him to save the world, someone was going to use it in the same way that the Red Skull had.

"What he should have done with it is a moot point now, Captain. The point is that we need it back." Fury took a step back. "I need you to lead a response team; people specialized for a job like this. You don't have to agree now. I left an information packet with Liberty. Look through it and give me your answer. It'll be a hell of a lot more productive than destroying punching bags."

Fury turned and left, Steve hearing him exchange a goodbye with Liberty. He only got a moment to look back down at the paper with the Tesseract on it before Liberty was looking in through the door of the gym.

"We're going after it. It's our problem."

Steve wanted to argue, but it had never really occurred to him not to go after the Tesseract. They were the one with the most experience with it. Liberty was right, it was their problem.

Steve sighed and dropped the tape into his bag, walking out of the gym. "Where's that packet?"

"Here." Liberty gestured with his muzzle, Steve reaching up to pick it off of Liberty's leg.

He turned to lean back against the dragon, waiting for Liberty to get into position while he wrestled the cover off of the touch screen. When Liberty was settled, he turned the device on, flicking through the early reports on the Tesseract. He would read through those later to refresh his memory. At the moment he wanted to see the team he would be leading first.

Steve went through the dossiers of each member, reading them out loud so Liberty could follow along. To his surprise, Liberty knew of two of the members on the team, Natasha Romanoff and Tony Stark. The others they both were at a loss, although Liberty seemed as confused as he was that there was one claiming to be a Norse god. Even not knowing everyone on the team himself, he could see that it might work out. There was enough of a range of skills that Steve would be confident in taking anything on with this team. Of course, it could all fall apart within a moment.

He sighed and tilted his head back to look at Liberty. "What do you think?"

"We go."

"No argument there. But I meant about the team."

Liberty moved his muzzle closer, his breath fogging up the touch screen for a moment. "I haven't seen Tony fight, but that suit is his technology, so it should be good. The others, I'm more than willing to watch, although Banner makes me nervous. How much does the Hulk weigh again?" Liberty scooted closer so he could read the weight for himself, snorting. "I might be able to carry that, we'll just see. But I can vouch for Natasha." He paused again, frowning at the screen. "Although why they don't have Clint here is strange. He's part of my crew and usually works with-"

Liberty touched a portion of the screen with his muzzle, jerking his head back when another file opened. Steve got a brief glimpse of footage of a man shooting arrows before the word 'Compromised' flashed across the screen in red.

Steve turned to look at Liberty, watching the dragon take in what was on the screen. Then, Liberty jerked away, Steve stumbling to keep his balance as the leg he had been leaning on was suddenly taken away. Steve carefully set down the touch screen, expecting to have to coax Liberty back from taking off now and going after the person who had compromised Clint himself. Instead, Liberty just looked over his shoulder, snarling. "We're going."

Steve wasn't sure if it was good that he felt a thrill at that. It was so much like the war, the rush of adrenaline before and during a mission. It was the only thing so far that had really made him feel alive. Maybe that was a bad thing, but Steve didn't want to look too far into it. What mattered was that they had to find the Tesseract and Clint and bring them back safely. It was a mission, something clear, defined and oh so welcome after Steve had been drifting for weeks with nothing to do. A mission took up all of his concentration, which meant less was focused on his dreams and exactly what he had missed.

He motioned for Liberty to go ahead, ducking back into the gym to collect his bag. Despite Liberty's haste, they wouldn't be heading to SHIELD's main base for a while. They had to pack their own gear and then radio ahead, although Steve was willing to bet that Liberty was talking to Coulson now. Steve paused to cup his hands around his mouth, shouting ahead to Liberty. "Tell Coulson to assemble the team!"

Liberty gave Steve a curt nod in return, his head cocked to the side as he listened to whatever Coulson said. Steve hoisted his bag over his shoulder, jogging after Liberty. Maybe there was a point to staying busy, in doing what Peggy had done by immersing herself in something that she enjoyed. It wouldn't take everything away, but Steve was willing to try anything just to dull the edges. Besides, he had been considering joining SHIELD once they had given him the green light mostly for Liberty's sake but also to simply keep himself from going insane.

He entered Liberty's clearing in time to see the dragon stepping into his harness, looking expectantly at Steve. He dropped his back and accepted the leg up from Liberty, attaching the harness straps as Liberty lifted up the pieces. It was hard work for one person, especially since Liberty was wiggling a bit, but it was work that Steve was used to. Steve slid off the dragon long enough to pack the rest of his spare belonging into a bag, ignoring the way that Liberty was nearly bouncing in place behind him. Liberty had been trained to wait longer than this.

Apparently Steve had misjudged his dragon's patience. As soon as he had finished buckling himself into his personal harness, Liberty grabbed him by the back of the shirt, depositing Steve onto his back. Before Steve could scold Liberty, his bag was thrown up as well. The expectant look that Liberty gave him said it all, that it was far better to clip in and secure his bag than argue.

Liberty was walking out of the clearing before Steve was even clipped in. Steve had just enough time to double check his carabiners before Liberty launched himself into the air. He scrambled for a hold on the harness, startled into laughter. Steve rode out the initial bumpiness as Liberty gained height, only bothering to sit up when Liberty had leveled out.

Steve reached out to pat Liberty's neck. "A little warning next time."

He just got a snort in return, although he felt Liberty relax under him. Steve shook his head and kept his hand resting on Liberty's neck.

As long as he didn't look down, Steve could imagine that he was back home. The tangle of dragons above New York was familiar enough and, from the air, he could hear the bustle of the city as well. He could just close his eyes and imagine that he was back in 1942, with nothing to worry about but the next bonds show.

Steve smiled to himself and looked down.

New York didn't look too bad from the air.

END


End file.
